tihvavy  of  t:he  trheolo^icd  ^tminaxy 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


•<i^i> 


PRESENTED  BY 

Delavan  L,  Pierson 


BV  2853  .B6  T82  1902a 
Tucker,  Hugh  C.  1857-1956 
The  Bible  in  Brazil 


A  Fascinating  Life 

The  Rev.  Hugh  C.  Tucker  has 
been  for  fourteen  years  agent  of  the 
American  Bible  Society  in  Brazil,  having 
the  general  oversight  and  direction  of  a 
number  of  colporters.  During  that  time 
he  has  traveled  extensively  throughout 
the  country  and  often  along  lines  not 
generally  followed  by  the  traveler  or 
merchant.  He  has  also  been  usually 
accompanied  by  those  who  knew  Brazil 
and  the  Brazilians  themselves,  so  that 
he  has  not  had  to  rely,  as  so  many 
foreigners  do,  upon  inadequate  inter- 
preters of  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  country.  The  obstacles  which  Mr. 
Tucker  has  had  to  meet  in  the  pursuit 
of  his  mission  have  been  numerous  and 
often  severe.  But  by  his  wisdom  and 
indefatigable  energy  he  has  so  overcome 
them  that  Bible  distribution  in  Brazil  is 
yearly  attended  with  decreasing  difficul- 
ties and  with  increasing  encouragement. 


THE  BIBLE  IN  BRAZIL 


0" 


^^  SEP  111951    ^ 


The 

Bible  in  Brazil 

Colporter  Experiences 

By 

Hugh  C.  Tucker 

Agent  of  the  American  Bible  Society 


New  York     Chicago      Toronto 

Fleming   H.   Revell   Company 

London  &  Edinburgh 


Copyright  1902 

BY 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 
(August) 


^0  tl^e  memorg 

of  mg  sainteb  ^att^er  anb  mott^cr 

tt]t5  Dolumc 

is  lootnglg  bebicateb 


PREFACE 

THE  object  in  writing  this  volume  is  two- 
fold :  first,  to  try  to  reveal  more  clearly  to 
the  Christian  people  of  the  United  States 
and  England  the  conditions  which  surround  17,- 
000,000  of  immortal  souls  on  the  American  con- 
tinent ;  and  in  the  second  place  to  give  some  idea 
of  what  the  Church  of  Christ  is  doing  to  save 
these  people,  and  of  the  real  progress  the  work  is 
making.  It  is  my  purpose  in  considering  the  first 
proposition  to  give  special  emphasis  to  the  ever 
enlarging  opportunity  and  responsibility  of  the 
American  and  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Societies 
in  the  work  of  saving  the  Brazilian  nation ;  and  In 
considering  the  second,  to  give  the  prominence 
justly  due  these  societies  for  the  very  important 
and  pioneer  part  they  have  taken  in  what  has 
been  done  up  to  date  for  rescuing  these  millions. 
It  is  furthermore  hoped  that  in  narrating  the 
experiences  of  the  fourteen  years  during  which  I 
have  travelled  extensively  as  Agent  of  the  Amer- 
ican Bible  Society  for  Brazil,  such  information 
may  be  given  concerning  the  people,  the  present 
condition  of  the  country,  its  unlimited  natural  re- 
sources, and  vast  possibilities  as  may  interest  the 
5 


6  Preface 

general  reader,  awaken  investigation,  and  lead  to 
a  more  definite  knowledge  of  this  so  large  and 
rich  a  portion  of  the  "  Neglected  Continent." 

The  Monroe  Doctrine  would  seem  to  imply  that 
there  rests  upon  the  people  of  the  United  States 
a  political  and  commercial  responsibility  for  the 
highest  welfare  of  all  the  countries  on  the  Amer- 
ican continent.  The  inquiry  at  least  should  sug- 
gest to  the  pious  mind  the  thought  of  the  tre- 
mendous responsibility  that  rests  upon  the  Chris- 
tian people  of  the  United  States  for  the  deliver- 
ance of  the  Brazilians  from  the  Roman  yoke  of 
bondage  and  the  awful  tyranny  to  which  they 
have  become  enslaved. 

Great  Britain  has  large  and  ever  increasing 
interests  in  Brazil  which  imply  a  corresponding 
responsibility  in  the  moral  and  religious  elevation 
of  the  nation. 

Hugh  C.  Tucker. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 
I 

THE  COUNTRY  AND  PEOPLE        ...       9 

II 
RIO  DE  JANEIRO 29 

III 
ALONG   THE   RAILROAD 52 

In  the  Provinces  of  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  Minas 
Geraes — Juiz  de  Fora — Ouro  Prcto. 

IV 
AMONG  THE   COLONISTS         ....      78 
Suburbs  of  Rio  de  Janeiro — Nova  Friburgo — 
Freedom  of  Worship — Impartial   Officials. 

V 

OVERLAND  TO  BAHIA 113 

Espirito  Santo — Our  Lady  of  the  Grotto — The 
Priest's  Bible — The  Diamond  District — Bitter 
Opposition  Overcome. 

VI 
BAHIA 138 

"  Away    with    the    Heretics " — A    Discomfited 
Priest— "The    Africa    of    Brazil  "—A    Char- 
acteristic City — Henry   Martyn — Burning  Bi- 
bles, 

7 


8  Contents 

PAGE 

VII 
TENT  LIFE 158 

On  Muleback  through  Minas  Geraes — Pioneer 

Work  bearing  Fruit — The  Black  River — The 

Niagara  of  South  America. 

VIII 
DOWN  THE  SAN  FRANCISCO    .    .        .       .     1^9 

Emancipation    Proclamation — Bom    Jesus     de 
Lapa — An  Evangelical  Official— A  Bible  burn- 
ing. 

IX 

PERNAMBUCO        . 199 

Power  of  Social  Influence — Dutch  and  Portu- 
guese— Parahyba-Ceara — Reading  under  Diffi- 
culties. 

X 

THE  AMAZON 225 

Para— River  Towns — The  Indians. 

XI 
SAO.  PAULO 239 

First  College  in  Brazil— Anchietu — McKenzie 
College — Italian  Colonists. 

XII 

SOUTHERN  PROVINCES 260 

A   Faithful   Colporteur— A   Coasting   Steamer 
— By  Wagon  and  Horseback — The  Bible  or 
the  Almanac. 

XIII 
RIO  GRANDE  DO  SUL 276 

A  Fine  Climate — Early  Settlers — German  In- 
fluence— Liberal   Ideas. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING    PAGE 

Bay  of  Rio  de  Janeiro Title 

Indians  of  the  Amazon  Valley 16 

Street  in  Rio  de  Janeiro 30 

Mango  Tree  Near  Rio  de  Janeiro  ...    40 

Juiz  de  Fora 56 

Nova    Friburgo 84 

Coffee  Gathering 94 

Ox  Carts 116 

Bahia 138 

A   Mule  Train 158 

An  Eagle  Indian  (Amazon) 184 

Pernambuco 200 

Maranhao 220 

Street  Scene  in  Para 228 

On  the  Amazon 238 

Ox  Carts,  Rio  Grande  de  Sul 268 


rhe  BIBLE  in   BRAZIL 


The  Country  and  People 

BRAZIL  has  an  area  of  about  3,280,000 
square  miles,  its  greatest  length  is  approxi- 
mately 2,600  miles,  and  breadth  2,500  miles. 
Topographically  it  may  be  divided  into  three  sec- 
tions ;  a  higher  region  of  plateaus,  ridges  or 
mountain  ranges ;  broad  open  valleys,  occupying 
that  portion  of  the  country  south  of  the  parallel 
of  Cape  St.  Roque;  and  the  vast  Valley  of  the 
Amazon.  In  so  extensive  a  territory  as  this,  with 
so  diversified  a  surface,  there  is  naturally  a  con- 
siderable variety  of  climate.  Great  heat  prevails 
throughout  the  northern  division,  lying  near  the 
equator,  and  its  year  may  generally  be  divided 
into  the  wet  and  the  dry  seasons,  while  the  eleva- 
tion of  the  central  and  southern  divisions,  further 
removed  from  the  equator,  allow  greater  variety 
of  climate.  Beyond  the  tropic  again,  in  a  small 
section  of  the  country,  a  temperate  zone  is 
reached,  with  its  four  seasons,  though  not  so  dis- 
tinctly marked  as  in  central  Europe. 
9 


lO  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

Brazil  has  a  seaboard  of  4,000  miles;  it  has 
many  thousands  of  miles  of  river  navigation,  and 
about  2,700  miles  of  railroads,  chiefly  in  the  cen- 
tral states.  In  only  three  of  the  twenty  states  is 
there  anything  like  a  connected  system.  To  trav- 
erse the  great  interior  and  carry  the  Word  of 
God  to  the  inhabitants  spread  over  this  vast  re- 
gion, great  dependence  must  be  placed  on  the 
faithful  pack-mule. 

In  an  effort  to  thus  compass  the  land  one  must 
encounter  the  heat,  sickness,  privations,  and  hard- 
ships consequent  upon  a  hot  and  malarial  climate, 
and  upon  slow  and  inferior  means  of  travel. 
Such  a  work  necessarily  involves  also  a  large  ex- 
penditure of  money.  When  these  difficulties  have 
been  overcome  and  the  people  have  been  reached, 
many  obstacles  arise  from  their  intellectual  and 
moral  condition.  Official  statistics  show  that 
only  about  fifteen  per  cent  of  the  entire  population 
can  read,  and  it  is  painfully  depressing  to  one 
engaged  in  offering  the  Scriptures  to  every  per- 
son, to  hear  about  three- fourths  of  them  say: 
"  I  don't  know  how  to  read."  Another  obstacle 
is  the  religious  superstition  of  the  people  concern- 
ing the  Bible  we  offer  them,  and  the  belief  so 
strongly  inculcated  by  the  priests  that  they  have 
no  right  to  read  even  the  version  accepted  by  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church.  The  opposition  to  our 
work  from  that  Church  and  the  priesthood  is  most 
violent  and  constant.  But  among  the  educated 
and  many  of  those  who  can  read,  there  are  still 


The  Country  and  People  ii 

other  mental  conditions  which  furnish  great  hin- 
drance to  a  wide  dissemination  of  the  Scriptures. 
For  many  years  the  more  enlightened  people  have 
been  turning  away  from  the  superstitions  and 
corruptions  of  their  religious  training,  and  not 
having  the  Truth  to  enlighten  and  guide  them, 
but  with  French  philosophies  and  the  French 
novel  at  hand,  they  have  become  positivists,  free- 
thinkers, spiritualists,  atheists,  and  one  knows 
not  what.  Corrupt  in  moral  Hfe  and  vitiated  in 
mental  tastes,  many  have  become  enveloped  in  a 
dense  cloud  of  incredulity  and  absolute  indiffer- 
ence. They  laugh  in  scorn  at  the  very  idea  of 
offering  them  the  Bible.  Sin  of  every  kind  is 
prevalent  on  every  side.  One  of  the  most  com- 
mon forms  of  evil  is  the  lottery.  Gambling  has 
become  epidemic,  and  hundreds  will  spend  their 
money  for  a  lottery  ticket,  or  a  chance  in  some 
other  form  of  gambling,  who  complain  that  they 
are  too  poor  to  buy  a  Bible.  The  Roman  Catholic 
Church  fosters  this  mania;  it  is  not  uncommon 
for  her  to  establish  by  government  permission 
lotteries  for  the  benefit  of  her  church  buildings 
and  other  charitable  institutions. 

But  another  view  of  the  case  may  help  the 
reader  to  a  more  intelligent  appreciation  of  the 
problem  and  the  work  to  be  set  forth  in  this  vol- 
ume. Who  are  the  17,000,000  inhabitants  scat- 
tered over  this  great  territory  under  such  intel- 
lectual, social  and  religious  conditions  ?  We  may 
answer  the  inquiry  by  a  few  remarks  upon  the 


12  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

races  here  mingling  together.  Let  us  first  con- 
sider that  element  of  the  population  which  we 
may  designate  as  the  whites. 

By  the  fortunes  of  discovery  and  conquest 
Brazil  began  to  be  settled  by  the  Portuguese  early 
in  the  sixteenth  century.  The  attention  of  the 
higher  classes  of  Portugal  at  that  time  was  taken 
up  with  India,  Brazil  having  been  discovered  by 
chance  as  a  Portuguese  fleet  was  endeavouring 
to  make  its  way  to  that  country  by  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope.  As  in  so  many  other  cases,  for 
years  adventurers  and  criminals  composed  a  large 
element  of  the  Portuguese  settlers.  The  famous 
priest,  Vieira,  said  in  one  of  his  eloquent  dis- 
courses, "  the  settlers  who  are  sent  out  are  crim- 
inals taken  from  the  dungeon,  and  perhaps  put 
on  board  in  irons ;  "  while  Southey  adds  that, 
"  the  train  of  hungry  dependents  who  accom- 
panied the  Governor  of  a  Captaincy  were  perhaps 
more  prejudicial  to  the  community  than  even 
these  convicts."  With  some  splendid  exceptions, 
in  general  the  principle  of  official  morality  was 
to  the  last  degree  relaxed,  and  the  principle  of 
honour  in  private  life  seems  to  have  been  debased 
by  punctilios,  and  perverted  till  it  became  a  mo- 
tive or  a  pretext  for  the  blackest  crimes.  It  is 
true  that  the  Governors  were  all  charged  to  take 
care  that  the  lives  of  the  Portuguese  should  be 
such  as  might  tend  by  the  force  of  example  to 
convert  the  savages ;  and  there  was  a  richly  en- 
dowed religious  institution  for  counteracting  the 


The  Country  and  People  13 

corruption  of  morals.  But  as  the  civil  officers 
often  became  avaricious  and  immoral  and  the 
Church  contented  itself  with  the  husk  of  super- 
stitious ceremonies  and  the  chaff  of  superstitious 
v^orks,  and  supported  its  empire  by  the  boldest 
arts  of  impudent  imposture,  there  was  little  check 
put  upon  the  tendencies  and  temptations  of  these 
early  settlers  in  the  new  world. 

From  the  time  of  the  first  settlement  to  1808, 
when  John  VI.  arrived  in  Brazil,  removing  the 
seat  of  the  Portuguese  Monarchy  from  Lisbon 
to  Rio  de  Janeiro,  the  white  population  had  grad- 
ually increased,  but  at  a  very  slow  rate. 

The  first  European  settler  in  Bahia  was  Diogo 
Alvares,  a  young  man  of  noble  family,  who  was 
the  only  one  of  a  shipwrecked  party  to  escape 
death.  He  succeeded  in  rescuing  from  the  wreck 
a  few  kegs  of  powder  and  a  musket,  and  became 
known  as  "  Caramuru," — a  man  of  fire.  The 
people  were  filled  with  fear,  but  he  soon  made 
the  chiefs  understand  that  he  would  kill  their 
enemies,  and  in  a  short  time  became  a  sovereign 
among  them.  The  chiefs  counted  it  a  great  for- 
tune if  he  would  accept  their  daughters  to  be  his 
wives.  When  he  had  the  opportunity  of  embarking 
on  a  French  vessel  to  Europe  he  succeeded  in 
persuading  the  King  of  Portugal  to  colonize  the 
delightful  country  where  he  already  had  a  numer- 
ous family  growing  up.  Many  of  those  settlers, 
building  towns  and  villages  along  the  coast,  fol- 
lowed his  example  in  their  social  and  domestic  in- 


14  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

tercourse  with  the  natives,  and  not  a  few  of  the 
best  families  of  Bahia  delight  to  trace  their  origin 
to  this  man. 

The  first  person  to  take  charge  of  a  Captaincy 
in  Brazil  was  Martin  Affonso  de  Souza,  who  with 
a  considerable  party  succeeded  in  establishing 
himself  on  the  coast  of  what  is  now  the  State  of 
Sao  Paulo.  He  succeeded  in  making  a  treaty 
with  the  chief  of  the  Gyayanazes  through  a  ship- 
wrecked Portuguese,  who  had  been  living,  among 
the  savages,  and  to  whom  the  chief  of  this  tribe 
had  given  his  daughter  for  a  wife.  This  colony 
prospered  from  the  beginning,  and  many  other 
settlers  of  a  better  class  were  from  time  to  time 
brought  out.  Among  the  first  settlers  in  one  of 
the  Captaincies  north  of  this  were  fifty  fidalgos 
and  men  of  royal  birth,  two  of  them  having  been 
banished  to  Brazil  because  of  their  atrocities  and 
cruelties  in  the  spice  islands  of  the  East.  It  is  said 
of  a  fourth  colony  that  it  was  headed  by  Pedro 
de  Campo  Tourinho,  who  was  of  a  noble  family, 
and  that  he  was  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren and  a  large  body  of  good  colonists.  Another 
expedition  was  shipwrecked  on  the  coast  of 
Maranhao.  One  man  who  survived  was  a  black- 
smith. From  the  wreck  he  extracted  pieces  of 
iron  with  which  he  wrought,  and  thus  made  him- 
self a  great  personage  with  a  number  of  neigh- 
bouring chiefs,  from  whom  he  obtained  their 
daughters  for  his  wives.  From  many  similar  his- 
toric incidents  recorded  of  colonial  times,  it  is 


The  Country  and  People  15 

evident  that  all  classes  from  the  convict  to  the 
family  of  noble  blood,  from  the  vilest  wretch  to 
the  man  of  high  moral  and  saintly  character,  were 
represented  among  the  early  white  settlers  of  the 
country.  Reference  should  also  be  made  to  the 
numbers  of  Jews,  who  by  the  Inquisition  of  Por- 
tugal in  1548,  were  banished  to  Brazil;  the  com- 
ing of  the  French  from  1 555-161 5,  and  again 
from  1 710  to  1 71 2;  the  Dutch  invasion  from 
1 624- 1 654,  and  other  smaller  elements. 

With  the  arrival  of  the  royal  family  began  a 
most  rapid  and  continued  influx  of  Portuguese, 
which  greatly  increased  the  population,  not  only 
of  the  city  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  but  of  the  entire 
Brazilian  coast  and  of  many  interior  districts. 
With  these  came  also  a  large  number  of  other 
foreigners.  The  whole  face  of  the  country  under- 
went a  great  and  rapid  change.  The  fashions  of 
Europe,  the  festive  ceremonies  of  a  court,  caused 
antiquated  customs  to  give  way,  and  new  modes 
of  life  were  adopted.  All  business  assumed  new 
aspects,  foreign  commercial  houses  were  opened 
and  artisans  began  to  establish  themselves  in 
many  places.  Then  came  the  printing  press, 
schools  and  libraries,  all  of  which  brought  a  more 
cultured  class  of  colonists.  The  Prince  Regent 
began  to  bestow  honours  upon  native  Brazilians 
who  had  so  kindly  received  the  royal  family: 
great  excitement  sprang  up  and  thousands,  by 
most  degrading  sycophancy,  were  soon  seeking 
titulary  distinctions.     A  great  battle  was  waged. 


l6  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

so  to  speak,  between  the  Brazilians  and  the  newly 
arrived  Portuguese.  Those  knighted  would  not 
return  to  the  debasing  employment  of  agricultural 
and  commercial  life,  and  thus  has  developed 
during  the  nineteenth  century  a  serious  defect  in 
Brazilian  character.  To  secure  government  posi- 
tion, "  to  be  clothed  with  a  little  brief  authority," 
and  secure  a  support  for  which  very  little  service 
has  to  be  rendered,  men  resort  to  all  manner  of 
intrigues. 

We  turn  now  to  the  red  men  of  Brazil.  While 
the  same  interest  scarcely  attaches  to  the  aborig- 
ines of  this  country  as  has  been  generally  mani- 
fested in  the  Incas  of  Peru  or  the  Montezumas 
of  Mexico,  they  form  an  important  element  in  the 
study  of  the  history  of  Brazil  and  the  Brazilians. 
They  are  for  the  most  part  of  a  copper  colour,  of 
medium  height,  rather  heavy  set  with  muscular 
chests,  thick,  straight,  black  hair;  black  eyes  and 
broad  faces.  In  disposition  they  are  generally 
apathetic  and  undemonstrative.  The  tribes  are 
not  habitually  and  widely  nomadic,  nor  can  they 
be  said  to  be  permanently  settled.  Each  tribe  in 
a  general  way  keeps  within  certain  limits,  unless 
driven  out  by  a  superior  force.  As  the  country 
is  well  watered  and  abounds  in  the  plantain, 
banana,  yam,  mandioca  root,  a  great  variety  of 
vegetable  palm,  etc.,  as  well  as  great  quantities 
of  fish  and  game,  they  have  never  felt  the  neces- 
sity of  that  mental  effort  and  exertion  which  tends 
to  civilization.     It  is  evident  that  they  knew  the 


INDIANS  OF  THE  AMAZON  VALLEY. 


The  Country  and  People  17 

use  of  fire  for  roasting,  boiling  and  drying  food 
before  they  knew  the  white  man.  They  used  fire 
also  for  making  signals  when  hunting  in  the 
forests,  and  its  use  for  warming  the  body  was 
common.  Their  method  of  producing  fire  was 
by  the  friction  of  two  pieces  of  wood. 

Their  moral  and  social  characteristics  show 
faint  evidences  of  the  existence  of  the  family,  mar- 
riage customs,  etc.  The  most  generally  prevail- 
ing religious  belief  among  them  seems  to  be  that 
there  are  three  great  or  chief  gods,  the  Sun,  god 
of  the  animal  kingdom;  the  Moon,  god  of  the 
vegetable  kingdom,  and  Ruda,  god  of  love  or  of 
all  reproduction.  Besides  these  they  have  a  mul- 
titude of  subordinate  and  inferior  gods  for  vari- 
ous purposes.  Their  burial  custom  of  depositing 
at  the  grave  the  bow  and  arrow  and  vessels  in 
which  they  prepare  food,  would  indicate  that  they 
have  some  idea  of  immortality  in  the  "  happy 
hunting  ground "  of  the  future.  The  curious 
custom,  observed  in  some  tribes  when  a  person 
dies,  of  hanging  a  certain  number  of  his  friends 
and  relatives,  as  nearly  as  might  be  of  his  own 
age,  in  order  that  he  might  have  suitable  com- 
pany in  the  next  world,  would  also  indicate  this 
belief. 

On  the  whole  many  of  the  aborigines  of  Brazil 
have  been  found  warlike,  ferocious,  vengeful  and 
bloodthirsty.  It  is  stated  that  some  of  them  were 
cannibals,  and  ate  their  enemies  with  great  cere- 
mony :  some  made  war  for  the  purpose  of  obtain- 


1 8  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

ing  human  food :  while  others  ate  their  relatives 
as  a  mark  of  honour  and  distinguished  considera- 
tion. 

There  was  at  first  considerable  friendliness  be- 
tween them  and  the  whites,  resulting  in  the  intro- 
duction both  of  the  arts  of  civilization  and  many 
vices  hitherto  unknown  to  the  savages.  Then  fol- 
lowed efforts  on  the  part  of  the  Europeans  to 
enslave  them,  resented  by  the  chiefs  and  resulting 
in  a  series  of  the  most  cruel  and  bloody  encounters 
that  have  ever  taken  place  between  civilized  man 
and  savage.  The  Jesuit  missionaries  did  much 
to  ameliorate  this  miserable  and  inhuman  state 
of  things.  Through  their  efforts  and  the  civiliz- 
ing influences  of  the  Europeans  thousands  have 
been  gradually  absorbed  into  the  mixed  popula- 
tion, and  whole  tribes  have  disappeared.  It  has 
been  a  process  of  absorption  and  extinction. 

The  importation  of  negroes  to  Brazil  began  in 
a  general  way  with  the  arrival  of  the  first  white 
settlers.  As  early  as  1548  we  read  of  a  certain 
garrison  in  Brazil  which  was  composed  of  90 
Europeans  and  30  slaves,  some  of  whom  were 
negroes.  It  is  stated  also  that  in  15 16  a  slave 
was  offered  for  a  hatchet.  With  the  growth  of 
the  country  in  colonial  times  the  importation  of 
blacks  constantly  increased,  and  the  slave  trade 
continued  until  1850.  I  have  seen  the  statement 
accredited  to  a  Brazilian  author,  that  "  it  was  con- 
sidered cheaper  on  the  farms  to  use  up  a  slave  in 
five  or  seven  years  and  purchase  another  than  to 


The  Country  and  People  19 

take  care  of  him."  When  the  slave-trade  was 
abolished  it  is  said  that  the  selfish  interest  of 
taking  better  care  of  them  was  greatly  increased. 
The  number  of  blacks  given  in  the  census  of 
1872  was  1,954,452,  or  19.68  per  cent  of  the  en- 
tire population.  A  Brazilian  writer  has  said  that 
the  negroes  form  the  most  robust  race  of  Brazil, 
and  that  a  larger  percentage  of  them  preserve 
themselves  pure  from  intermarriage  than  of 
either  of  the  other  races. 

The  features  which  differentiate  them  to-day 
from  the  North  American  negroes  are  doubtless 
due  to  the  vast  differences  in  the  social,  intellec- 
tual, and  religious  influences  and  conditions  under 
which  they  have  been  living.  They  were  so  nu- 
merous in  Bahia  as  early  as  1690  that  a  traveller 
might  have  supposed  himself  in  Negroland.  They 
were  brought  from  India  and  Africa  and  were 
preferred  to  the  natives  of  Brazil,  because  they 
were  stronger  and  more  industrious,  and  were 
not  so  easily  tempted  to  make  their  escape,  being 
deterred  by  the  savages  around  them.  The 
priests  have  generally  been  considered  the  friends 
of  the  slaves,  and  their  system  of  religion  has  ac- 
commodated itself  with  wonderful  facility  to  the 
superstitious  and  idolatrous  tendencies  of  the  ne- 
groes, as  well  as  of  the  red  men.  Our  Lady  of  the 
Rosary, — the  peculiar  patron  saint  of  the  blacks, 
— is  sometimes  painted  as  a  negress;  but  while 
it  is  true  that  the  mass  of  the  blacks  have  become 
Roman  Catholics,  or  ratlier  baptized  pagans,  yet 


20  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

many  of  them  still  follow  the  superstitions  and 
fetichism  of  their  African  ancestors. 

The  condition  of  the  blacks  had  its  mitigations 
and  ameliorations  through  the  long  period  of 
gradual  progress  and  improvement  that  charac- 
terized Brazilian  civilization  from  the  beginning 
of  the  nineteenth  century  to  the  final  and  complete 
emancipation  of  slavery  in  the  year  1888.  But 
their  history  in  Brazil  under  its  very  best  colour- 
ing is  a  rather  dark  picture.  Since  their  libera- 
tion they  have  drifted  largely  from  the  plantations 
to  the  towns  and  villages,  and  many  are  killing 
themselves  with  drink.  Their  number  is  certainly 
not  increasing  rapidly  if  at  all. 

The  official  census  taken  in  the  year  1890  gave 
the  following,  whites  6,302,198;  blacks  2,097,426 ; 
Indians  1,295,796,  and  mixed  races  4,638,495.  It 
is  generally  believed  that  thousands  of  quadroons, 
octoroons  and  other  degrees  of  mixed  bloods  were 
classified  as  whites.  It  is  not  improbable  there- 
fore that  a  strictly  correct  report  would  very  ma- 
terially decrease  the  returns  for  the  white  column 
and  increase  that  for  the  mixed.  If  we  estimate 
the  population  at  17,000,000,  at  the  close  of  the 
year  1900,  I  suppose  a  fairly  correct  estimate 
would  be,  whites  6,000,000,  blacks  2,200,000,  In- 
dians 1,300,000,  and  mixed  races  7,500,000.  Of 
the  Indians  it  is  estimated  that  about  500,000  are 
partly  civilized,  leaving  800,000  yet  in  the  wild 
or  savage  state.  In  a  general  way  there  is  free 
intercourse  and  marriages  are  frequent  between 


The  Country  and  People  21 

the  whites,  blacks  and  mixed  races,  and  these  oc- 
casionally intermarry  with  the  domesticated  In- 
dians. They  all  mingle  together  under  one  gov- 
ernment, enjoying  much  the  same  social  and  re- 
ligious privileges,  and  are  at  peace  so  far  as  any 
colour  or  race  distinctions  are  concerned.  There 
are  class  distinctions  in  society,  but  they  are  gov- 
erned more  by  wealth,  position,  and  influence  than 
by  colour.  With  a  limited  few  there  exists  a 
strong  race  prejudice,  or  perhaps  I  had  better 
say  a  conviction  that  it  is  better  for  humanity 
that  the  races  exist  separate  from  each  other.  At 
any  rate  the  amalgamation  of  these  three  races 
has  been  going  on  in  Brazil  for  four  hundred 
years  under  climatic,  social  and  religious  condi- 
tions not  conducive  to  the  development  of  the 
highest  moral  tone  of  character.  The  influences 
of  priestcraft,  the  convent,  slavery  and  other  con- 
ditions have  tended  to  give  much  seclusion  to  the 
family  life,  or  rather  to  the  female  portion  of  the 
family.  Some  think,  and  it  may  be  true  in  a 
measure,  that  this  seclusion  is  traceable  to  the 
Moorish  manners,  relics  of  which  have  existed  in 
Portugal  and  the  colonies.  The  official  statistics 
of  1890  show  that  2,603,489  persons,  or  nearly 
one-sixth  of  the  population  at  that  time,  were  born 
out  of  wedlock.  Certain  Catholic  institutions 
have  an  opening  in  the  wall  next  to  the  street, 
with  a  kind  of  wheel  arrangement  where  these 
illegitimate  and  abandoned  babes  may  be  depos- 
ited to  be  taken  in  and  cared  for  by  the  Sisters 


22  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

of  Charity.  The  official  statistics  above  referred 
to  show  that  12,265  of  the  population  living  in  the 
year  1890  belonged  to  this  class. 

It  is  painful  to  mention  such  facts  as  the  above, 
but  the  Church  of  Christ  must  know  the  spiritual 
needs  of  this  people.  There  are  very  many  pleas- 
ant and  delightful  things  to  be  said  about  the  peo- 
ple in  general,  as  there  are  many  exceptions  to 
these  lamentable  defects.  They  are  generally 
warm-hearted,  hospitable,  and  generous  in  their 
nature,  and  show  great  deference  to  the  stranger 
who  comes  into  their  midst.  After  fifteen  years' 
residence  and  labour  among  them  it  gives  me 
very  great  pleasure  to  record  the  very  cordial  re- 
ception, hospitable  entertainment  and  thousands 
of  kind  attentions  I  have  received  from  all  classes 
throughout  the  entire  country.  What  opposition 
and  violence  I  have  suffered  has  been  occasioned 
by  my  message  of  life  and  salvation,  the  Word 
of  God.  These  noble  elements  of  hospitality  and 
generosity  under  gospel  influences  become  promi- 
nent and  potent  in  the  development  of  Christian 
character.  The  Gospel  is  finding  a  fruitful  soil 
in  Brazil,  and  already  the  results  show  the  devel- 
opment of  some  splendid  Christian  characters. 

The  moral  and  intellectual  conditions  are  such 
that  the  Evangelical  work  must  begin  on  the  very 
lowest  plane.  There  seems  to  be  in  the  average 
Brazilian  character  as  we  see  in  most  Latin  coun- 
tries an  absence  of  the  sense  of  sin.  Immoralities 
are  practiced  without  shame,  falsehoods  are  per- 


The  Country  and  People  23 

petrated  with  the  boldness  of  genuine  veracity, 
and  crimes  are  committed  without  fear  of  punish- 
ment. The  three  most  prevalent  forms  of  sin 
are  mendacity,  sensuality,  and  gambling.  These 
are  peculiar  to  no  classes  or  grades  of  society, 
but  are  common  everywhere :  they  are  indulged 
in  without  shame  or  fear  by  persons  in  every 
grade  of  political,  professional,  commercial  and 
social  standing.  So  general  is  this  insensibility 
that  there  is  no  public  conscience  to  cry  out 
against  these  evils :  there  seems  to  be  no  moral 
sentiment  to  be  scandalized  by  these  atrocities. 
Well  may  it  be  asked  what  has  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic Church  been  doing  in  Brazil  for  these  cen- 
turies? There  can  be  no  doubt  that  her  false 
system  and  the  corrupt  lives  of  her  priests  have 
in  a  very  large  measure  tended  to  plunge  the 
Brazilian  conscience  into  this  awful  abyss  of  spir- 
itual blindness. 

The  first  work  of  the  Gospel  and  the  mission- 
ary then  in  this  country  is  to  instruct  the  mind 
by  undeceiving  it,  arouse  the  conscience  from  this 
dreadful  apathy,  enlighten  the  sensibilities,  and 
teach  men  that  they  are  living  in  sin  and  incurring 
the  wrath  of  God  day  by  day,  though  they  may 
stand  well  in  society  and  in  high  favour  with  the 
Church. 

There  has  been  accumulated  in  Brazil  during 
the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  a  wealth 
of  testimony  to  the  fact  that  the  Written  Word  of 
God,  the  Bible,  is  a  most  potent  agency  for  awak- 


24  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

ening  Brazilians  out  of  their  spiritual  slumber, 
arousing  them  to  a  sense  of  their  awful  doom, 
and  leading  them  to  Jesus  Christ,  the  only  Medi- 
ator between  God  and  man,  the  only  Saviour  of 
sinners. 

A  few  further  considerations  of  a  rather  his- 
torical nature  may  be  of  interest  to  the  reader, 
and  serve  to  show  how  the  Bible  has  been  shut 
out  from  the  Brazilians  by  the  Roman  Church, 
and  also  how  the  even  small  efforts  made  by 
Protestants  to  circulate  it  have  been  opposed  by 
the  priests. 

The  Holy  Scriptures  were  opened  and  read  on 
an  island  in  the  bay  of  Rio  de  Janeiro  by  French 
Huguenots  in  the  year  1555.  About  a  year  later 
at  the  solicitation  of  Coligny,  who  has  been  termed 
the  patron  of  this  colonization  enterprise,  and  at 
the  request  of  the  Genevan  clergy,  Philippe  de 
Carguilleray  took  charge  of  the  reenforcements 
for  the  colony,  and  Calvin  with  his  elders  in  con- 
vocation appointed  two  preachers  to  this  mission. 
On  their  arrival  a  room  was  prepared  and  one  of 
the  ministers  preached  that  day.  Orders  were 
given  that  they  should  have  prayers  every  even- 
ing after  work  was  done,  and  that  one  sermon  be 
preached  every  week  day  and  two  on  Sunday. 
Doubtless  the  colony  was  well  supplied  with 
copies  of  Lefevre's  New  Testament,  which  at 
that  time  was  being  circulated  in  France  by  the 
thousan'ds. 

In  1553,  seven  Jesuits  had  been  sent  out  to 


The  Country  and  People  25 

Brazil  to  strengthen  and  extend  the  work  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  Loyola,  recognizing 
the  importance  of  their  mission,  delegated  new 
powers  to  Nobrega,  who  was  already  in  charge. 
This  mission  was  full  of  that  hostility  of  the 
Roman  Church  which  sought  so  vigorously,  in 
Europe,  to  suppress  the  Reformation.  In  the  un- 
cultivated soil  of  the  New  World  it  found  favour- 
able conditions  for  the  growth  and  full  develop- 
ment of  the  traditional  features  of  the  Council  of 
Trent,  so  recently  enacted  in  1546,  whose  decrees 
taught  that  the  Christian  faith  was  contained 
partly  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  partly  in  the 
traditions  of  the  Church,  declared  the  authen- 
ticity of  the  Latin  Vulgate,  forbade  all  private 
interpretation  of  it,  and  ordered  that  no  copies  be 
printed  or  circulated  without  authority,  under 
penalty  of  fine  and  anathema. 

Through  the  treachery  of  Villegagnon,  these 
Jesuits  soon  obliterated,  in  a  most  brutal  manner, 
the  Huguenot  colony,  and  furnished  a  striking 
example  of  what  was  desired  to  be  done  in  all 
the  world  with  those  who  dared  to  assert  the  au- 
thority of  the  Holy  Scriptures  as  the  only  rule  of 
faith  and  practice,  and  to  teach  and  practice  the 
same.  Under  the  influence  of  those  decrees,  vir- 
tually prohibiting  the  circulation  and  the  reading 
of  the  Scriptures,  and  establishing  the  authority 
of  the  traditions  as  containing  the  Christian  faith, 
began  a  juggling  with  the  credulity  of  mankind 
which  has  led  to  the  invention  and  multiplication 


26  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

of  fables  and  legends  as  monstrous  as  the  wildest 
fictions  of  romance. 

Robert  Southey,  in  speaking  of  how  the  mon- 
astic orders  vied  with  each  other,  wrote :  "  It 
would  be  impossible  to  say  which  order  has  ex- 
ceeded the  other  in  Europe  in  this  rivalry,  each 
having  carried  the  audacity  of  falsehood  to  its 
utmost  bounds :  but  in  Brazil  the  Jesuits  bore 
the  palm/^ 

Of  the  seven  Jesuits  sent  out  in  1553  one  was 
Anchieta,  who  became  their  leader,  and  about 
whom  the  greatest  number  of  legends  and  fables 
were  invented.  He  has  been  styled  by  some 
"  the  Thaumaturgus  of  the  New  World,"  being 
the  head  of  all  the  inhabitants  and  having  au- 
thority over  the  elements  and  animals  of  America 
as  the  first  Adam  had  in  Paradise.  He  was  also 
called  the  Vice  Christ,  and  belief  in  his  miracle- 
working  virtues  was  carried  to  such  an  extent 
that  after  his  death  water  that  had  been  poured 
over  one  of  his  bones  is  said  to  have  worked 
more  than  twelve  hundred  miracles,  and  that  a 
few  drops  of  it  turned  water  into  wine.  One  of 
the  censors  of  the  press  at  Lisbon  said,  that,  "  so 
long  as  the  publication  of  the  book  in  which  these 
assertions  are  made  is  delayed,  so  long  will  the 
faithful  be  deprived  of  great  benefit  and  God  him- 
self of  glory."  This  Anchieta  was  a  leading 
spirit  in  the  destruction  of  the  Protestant  colony 
and  in  putting  an  end  to  that  early  effort  to  in- 
troduce the  Bible  into  Brazil.     He  thus  sowed 


The  Country  and  People  ay 

the  seed  of  bitter  opposition  to  the  Bible  which 
has  produced  during  these  centuries  such  a  wide- 
spread rejection  of  the  revealed  Will  of  God,  and 
a  consequent  harvest  of  absurd  traditions,  super- 
stitions and  ignorance  in  matters  of  religion. 
Southey,  writing  in  1810  of  the  extravagances  to 
which  these  superstitions  were  carried  in  Brazil, 
says,  *'  Let  the  Roman  Church  appeal  to  its 
canons  and  its  councils  as  it  may,  its  practices 
were  those  of  polytheism  and  idolatry."  Roman- 
ism has  had  an  almost  undisturbed  career  of 
nearly  another  hundred  years  in  this  country  since 
the  above  statement  was  made,  and  a  study  of  the 
situation  to-day  abundantly  justifies  the  declara- 
tion that  its  practices  are  polytheistic  and  idola- 
trous. These  are  the  legitimate  and  inevitable 
results  of  that  prohibition  it  has  placed  upon 
the  reading  of  the  Bible.  It  has  never  made  an 
attempt  to  give  the  people  of  this  country  the 
Word  of  God,  but  on  the  contrary  has  constantly 
and  most  violently  opposed  and  persecuted  all 
efforts  made  by  the  Bible  Society  to  circulate  the 
Scriptures.  It  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  Bible 
was  not  enumerated  among  the  books  that  might 
be  admitted  into  Brazil  while  this  country  was 
under  the  dominion  of  Portugal. 

In  Protestant  countries  the  pulpit  is  constantly 
exhorting  the  people  to  the  duty  of  reading  the 
Scriptures :  here  in  Brazil  the  missionary  has  to 
begin  by  persuading  the  people  that  they  have 
even  a  right  to  read  the  Bible.     Pascal  has  said: 


28  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

"  Mahomet  estabUshed  his  authority  in  a  prohibi-  i 

tion  to  read,  and  Jesus  Christ  His  in  a  command 
to  read."  The  Pope  of  Rome  has  estabUshed  his 
authority  over  the  Brazihan  conscience  by  pro-  ; 

hibiting  the  Bible,  Jesus  Christ  now  comes  to  de-  j 

liver  the  nation  and  establish  His  authority  over  ] 

their  souls  by  commanding  them  to  search  the 
Scriptures  which  testify  of  Him. 


II 

Rio  de  Janeiro 

THERE  is  perhaps  no  spot  on  the  earth 
where  the  grandeur,  beauty  and  har- 
monies of  surrounding  nature  stand  out 
in  such  bold  contrast  to  the  httleness,  loathsome- 
ness, and  incongruity  of  the  religious  character 
and  ideas  of  the  people  as  in  the  city  of  Rio  de 
Janeiro. 

The  former  has  been  described  in  glowing 
terms  by  many  well  known  writers.  The  harbour 
is  one  of  the  largest,  safest,  most  beautiful  in  the 
world  :  **  a  miniature  summer  sea,  sleeping  within 
the  embrace  of  granitic  mountain  chains,  upon 
whose  bosom  rest  a  hundred  fairy  isles,  and 
around  whose  shores,  dimple  a  hundred  tiny 
bays."  The  coast  is  mountainous  and  picturesque 
in  the  extreme,  its  rough  outline  giving  rise  to  the 
name  "  The  Sleeping  Giant,"  while  one  peculiarly 
prominent  cliff  was  a  half  century  ago  popularly 
known  as  "  Lord  Hood's  Nose." 

The  city  itself  spreads  in  a  kmd  of  crescent 
shape  around  the  western  side  of  the  bay,  its  en- 
virons extending  along  the  beaches,  and  running 
up  on  the  hills.  The  effect  of  this  scattered  dis- 
position of  the  houses,  especially  at  night  when 
29 


I 


30  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

the  clusters  of  lights  appear  on  the  hillsides,  Mrs. 
Agassiz  found  "  exceedingly  pretty."  Add  to  this 
the  wonderful  flora  of  the  tropics,  with  its  mar- 
vellous light  and  shade,  the  curious  spires  of  the 
churches,  the  variegated  colours  of  the  houses, 
set  in  the  background  of  brown  and  grey  peaks, 
lighted  up  by  the  shiny  water  of  the  bay,  and  the 
whole  scene  forms  a  most  entrancing  picture. 

In  1897  during  a  visit  from  Bishop  Galloway 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  Soutlf,  a  party 
of  us  held  a  sunrise  prayer  meeting  on  the  sum- 
mit of  Mount  Corcovado.  He  describes  it  as 
follows :  "  But  the  episode  which  will  have  the 
longest  and  most  vivid  remembrance  was  the  sun- 
rise prayer  meeting  Saturday  morning  on  the 
summit  of  Corcovado.  Arrangements  had  been 
made  for  a  special  train  on  *  the  Cog  road,'  and 
never  did  a  happier  company  climb  that  or  any 
other  mountain  on  earth.  We  left  our  homes 
shortly  after  four  o'clock,  and  at  five  were  in  the 
car  ready  to  make  the  glorious  ascent.  A  mar- 
vellous piece  of  engineering  is  that  road,  climbing 
to  the  summit,  2,300  feet  above,  in  about  forty 
minutes.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  a  more 
beautiful  picture  than  that  presented  as  we 
ascended  the  mountain,  except  the  one  which 
called  forth  rapturous  exclamations  as  we  stood 
upon  the  heights.  Around  every  curve  we  had 
a  new  view  of  the  gas-lighted  city  below  us,  with 
the  waters  of  the  ba}^,  dotted  with  islands  and 
ocean   steamers,    shimmering   under   the   flashes 


STREET  IN  RIO  DE  JANEIRO. 


Rio  de  Janeiro  31 

from  electric  dynamos.  Above  us  the  skies  were 
cloudless  and  the  stars  shone  with  a  brilliancy 
only  seen  in  the  southern  heavens.  The  mornin;^ 
was  perfect,  and  the  joyous  company  of  forty- 
four  stood  on  Corcovado  before  the  sun  began 
to  peep  through  the  distant  hills.  But  we  had 
not  long  to  wait  before  the  crimson  streaks  ap- 
peared, announcing  the  royal  *  bridegroom  com- 
ing out  of  his  chamber.'  Below  us  the  city  was 
yet  in  darkness,  except  as  the  shadows  were  re- 
lieved by  the  lamps  of  the  streets,  and  off  to  the 
right  the  billows  were  breaking  on  the  surf-beaten 
shore.  A  hymn  was  sung,  some  appropriate 
Scripture  passages  were  read,  and  while  prayer 
was  being  offered  the  sun  swept  through  the 
gates  of  the  morning  and  flooded  mountain  peaks 
and  distant  hills  with  flames  of  gold.  He  rose 
between  two  mountain  peaks,  and  as  the  bright 
beams  flashed  upward  and  then  down  upon  the 
shimmering  sea  at  our  feet,  it  looked  like  a  mas- 
sive cathedral  window  through  which  the  light 
streamed  in  splendour.  Off  to  the  left  were  the 
Organ  Mountains — happily  named — and  as  the 
sun's  rays  fell  on  each  peak  they  had  the  exact 
appearance  of  the  gilded  pipes  of  a  grand  organ, 
which  seem.ed  to  play  the  musical  accompani- 
ment, while  the  whole  company  joined  in  joyous 
song.  Oh,  it  was  a  moment  of  rapture!  The 
stars  had  never  seemed  so  bright.  Venus  ap- 
peared twice  her  ordinary  size,  and  shone  like  a 
sun.     And  it  was  not  until  the  king  was  well  up 


32  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

above  the  mountain  that  the  queen  of  the  morn- 
ing withdrew  from  view.  All  through  the  night 
she  had  waited  for  her  lord's  coming. 

"  An  hour  was  given  to  song,  prayer,  and  testi- 
mony. Some  of  the  native  brethren  spoke  with 
deep  emotion  and  genuine  eloquence.  With 
streaming  eyes  one  brother  looked  out  on  the  bay, 
which  was  a  very  sea  of  gold,  and  referred  to  the 
fact  that  from  those  waters  he  was  once  almost 
miraculously  rescued ;  '  but,'  said  he,  '  I  have  been 
more  wonderfully  delivered  from  the  depths  of 
iniquity,  and  to-day  my  feet  are  planted  upon  a 
rock — yea  upon  a  mountain  summit.'  Another 
learned  a  lesson  from  the  powerful  engine  which 
pushed  our  car  up  the  steep  mountain  side,  and 
said,  so  God's  grace  had  been  pushing  him  on- 
ward and  upward,  until  he  had  reached  a  mount 
of  vision.  At  length  we  all  knelt  in  silent  prayer 
for  a  moment,  and  solemnly  received  the  benedic- 
tion. Down  the  mountain  we  came,  singing 
hymns  that  waked  the  distant  echoes  and  called 
the  cottagers  to  their  doors  and  windows.  We 
sang  the  *  Sweet  Bye  and  Bye '  in  two  languages 
at  the  same  time,  but  to  the  same  tune.  -As  I  lis- 
tened to  the  famihar  notes,  I  said  in  my  heart: 
*  So  the  praises  of  God  may  be  sung  in  every 
tongue,  and  yet  in  perfect  harmony.'  As  we  saw 
the  darkness  which  shrouded  the  city  below  us 
lift  and  float  away  before  the  light  of  the  morn- 
ing, every  heart  prayed  that  so  may  the  shadows 


Rio  de  Janeiro  33 

be  driven  from  this  beautiful  land  by  the  bright 
shining  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness." 

It  was  the  4th  of  July,  1886,  when  I  landed  in 
Rio  de  Janeiro.  For  fourteen  months  I  served 
as  pastor  of  an  English  speaking  congregation  at 
the  Cattete  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South, 
also  conducting  a  boy's  school.  On  September 
7th,  1887,  the  anniversary  of  Brazil's  independ- 
ence, corresponding  to  the  other  date  in  my  own 
country's  history,  I  entered  the  service  of  the 
American  Bible  Society,  and  since  then  my  spe- 
cial mission  has  been  to  give  to  the  Brazilians  the 
written  Word  of  God,  for  so  many  centuries  a 
sealed  book. 

On  that  September  morning,  I  went  into  the 
building  at  No.  79  Rua  Sete  de  Setembro 
(Seventh  of  September  Street)  in  the  centre  of 
the  city,  climbed  two  flights  of  stairs,  and  en- 
tered a  large  room  with  three  windows  opening 
into  the  street,  the  office  and  depository  of  the 
Brazil  Agency  of  the  American  Bible  Society. 
I  found  a  desk,  a  few  chairs,  a  row  of  book- 
shelves against  one  wall,  and  a  number  of  boxes 
of  books  from  New  York.  A  colporteur,  Sr. 
Manoel  Joaquim  T.  Paulo,  had  been  looking 
after  affairs  for  a  few  months  since  my  predeces- 
sor the  Rev.  Wm.  Brown  sailed  for  New  York. 
The  second  floor  of  the  building  was  occupied 
by  "The  Rio  News,"  whose  editor,  Mr.  A.  J. 
Hamoureux,  showed  me  many  kind  attentions, 


34  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

and  has  during  these  years  rendered  me  much 
valuable  help  in  the  efforts  to  organize  and  carry 
forward  the  work  of  Bible  distribution. 

For  seven  years  that  upper  room  was  the  office 
and  general  depository  of  the  Agency;  all  the 
boxes  of  books  handled  were  carried  up  and 
down  those  two  flights  of  stairs  on  a  man's  head, 
the  usual  method  of  carrying  heavy  loads  in 
Brazil.  It  is  a  curious  sight,  for  instance,  to  see 
four  men  going  through  the  streets  with  an  im- 
mense piano  on  their  heads.  Rents  were  high 
and  we  were  not  prepared  to  open  a  store  on  the 
street,  so  there  we  remained.  But,  as  our  work 
enlarged  and  circumstances  changed,  we  found  it 
necessary  to  seek  a  ground  floor  and  have  an  open 
store  with  the  Bible  on  the  counter  and  in  the 
show-window.  This  publicity  of  our  work  has 
been  the  occasion  of  many  interesting  conversa- 
tions and  the  sale  of  hundreds  of  copies  of  the  pre- 
cious Words  of  Life.  In  a  country  where  the 
Bible  has  been  for  centuries  a  forbidden  book,  it 
is  a  matter  of  no  small  import  to  have  open  day 
by  day  a  store  for  the  sole  purpose  of  selling  it. 
Rents,  license,  and  other  expenses  may  seem  a 
very  considerable  outlay,  but  experience  has 
proven  that  it  is  a  wise  investment.  Hundreds 
of  passers-by  have  stood  at  the  show  window  and 
read  the  open  book;  some  of  all  classes  have 
come  in  to  buy;  others  have  returned  to  read 
what  might  be  on  the  next  page  when  the  leaf 


Rio  de  Janeiro  35 

was  turned ;  and  many  have  gone  away  to  medi- 
tate on  what  they  have  read. 

Another  advantage  of  the  open  store  is  the 
aspect  of  permanency  and  prominence  it  gives  to 
the  Bible  cause.  It  has  become  a  kind  of  centre 
or  headquarters  for  Christian  workers  in  the  city 
and  for  those  passing  through. 

The  commercial  feature  of  the  work  of  the 
Agency  has  been  of  great  value  in  bringing  the 
Bible  Society  before  the  people.  The  very  fact 
that  the  books  have  to  enter  through  the  custom 
house  and  pay  a  small  duty;  pass  through  the 
hands  of  steamship  companies,  over  railroads,  and 
through  commercial  agencies;  be  picked  up  by 
pack-mules  and  transported  for  hundreds  of  miles 
through  the  interior,  all  this  has  been  a  most 
effective  form  of  advertising.  Again  the  hand- 
ling of  from  50,000  to  75,000  copies  of  the  Scrip- 
tures annually  becomes  a  matter  of  some  commer- 
cial importance.  Hundreds  of  letters  pass  through 
the  mails  annually,  the  envelopes  bearing  the 
stamp,  **  Agencia  da  Sociedade  Biblica  Amer- 
icana." One  result  has  been  to  arouse  inquiry  as 
to  what  it  means;  another  to  break  down  preju- 
dices and  awaken  serious  thought.  If  men  will 
give  their  money  and  time  to  carry  on  such  a 
business  in  a  legitimate  way,  surely  the  Bible 
must  be  considered  of  great  importance  in  the 
United  States  and  England,  even  if  it  has  been 
despised  in  Brazil.     As  I  have  watched  the  whole 


2^  The  Bible  In  Brazil 

movement  In  all  of  its  bearings,  especially  for  the 
last  seven  years,  I  have  been  more  and  more  im- 
pressed with  the  importance  and  significance  of 
the  open  Bible  store.  It  would  be  a  blessing  to 
have  one  in  every  large  city  of  the  Republic. 

Of  course,  much  depends  upon  the  man  at  the 
counter.  The  man  who  has  been  in  charge  most 
of  the  time,  is  Sr.  Joao  de  Silva  Pereira.  Before 
his  conversion  a  common  labourer  with  very  lim- 
ited education,  he  has  proved,  both  during  service 
as  a  colporteur  and  in  charge  of  the  salesroom,  a 
most  faithful  and  efficient  worker.  In  the  year 
1892,  I  had  an  interesting  visit  from  a  man  who 
had  come  a  five  days'  journey  on  muleback,  and 
then  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  by  rail- 
road, to  hear  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  receive 
Christian  baptism,  and  make  profession  of  his 
faith  in  Christ.  He  was  a  brother  of  Joao.  The 
latter  had  been  on  a  journey  and  was  taken  sick 
while  working  in  an  interior  town  in  the  State  of 
Minas  Geraes.  He  received  much  attention  from 
a  young  man,  who,  on  learning  his  name,  re- 
marked that  he  knew  a  person  of  the  same  name 
who  lived  a  long  distance  from  there.  The  col- 
porteur recognized  the  name  as  that  of  his 
brother,  whom  he  had  not  seen  for  thirty  years. 
He  at  once  opened  communication  with  him  and 
sent  him  a  Bible  and  some  religious  papers  from 
the  depository.  The  man,  then  perhaps  seventy 
years  of  age,  came  all  this  distance  to  learn  more 
of  the  way  of  truth.     He  was  baptized  and  re- 


Rio  de  Janeiro  37 

ceived  into  full  membership  in  one  of  the  churches 
of  this  city.  He  told  me  that  he  had  been  at 
work  among  his  neighbours,  many  of  whom  were 
anxious  to  know  more  of  the  Gospel. 

This  may  be  said  to  be  the  fruit  of  one  Bible 
sent  by  mail  five  days'  journey  beyond  the  rail- 
road. No  colporteur  or  preacher  of  the  Gospel 
had  ever  visited  that  community. 

On  another  occasion  he  addressed  a  letter  to 
the  keeper  of  the  jail  in  an  interior  town,  whose 
name  lie  did  not  know,  and  sent  him  a  copy  of 
one  of  the  Gospels.  He  received  a  kind  reply 
with  an  expression  of  desire  to  know  more  about 
this  interesting  book,  and  sent  a  Bible  with  some 
tracts  and  Gospels  to  be  distributed  among  the 
prisoners.  The  following  is  one  of  the  letters  he 
received : 

"  Friend  Sr.  JoAo  : 

"  Together  with  your  letter  I  received  the 
hymn  book  and  the  New  Testament  to  be  deliv- 
ered to  the  prisoner,  Carlos  Antonio  Vieira, 
which  I  did  immediately  and  for  which  he  is 
very  grateful.  I  also  distributed  the  papers 
among  the  prisoners ;  they  were  not  sufficient  for 
all  but  I  distributed  so  that  all  could  read  them. 
For  lack  of  time  I  have  read  but  little  in  the  Bible, 
the  treasure  of  which  you  made  a  present  to  me. 
From  the  little  that  I  have  read  of  the  passages 
marked  I  have  been  much  benefited.  When  I 
read,  I  call  together  all  the  family  to  hear,  and 
sometimes  people  from  outside  have  heard.  As 
I  have  many  nephews  and  relatives  here,  some  of 


38  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

them  are  accustomed  to  come  at  night  to  hear 
the  words  of  our  Redeemer.     I  hope  to  relate  to 
you  ere  long  the  effect  that  this  may  produce. 
"  Accept  the  good  wishes  of  your  brother, 
'*  Venancio  da  Silva  Prado." 

Later  I  had  the  pleasure  of  baptizing  this  man 
and  receiving  him  into  the  Church.  About  the 
same  time  there  came  a  letter  from  a  lieutenant 
in  the  same  place,  expressing  his  great  pleasure 
in  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures.  These  are  but 
illustrations  of  the  many  ways  besides  selling 
over  the  counter  that  Sr.  Joao  has  employed  to 
circulate  the  Scriptures  and  to  lead  men  to  Christ. 

While  we  have  sought  to  circulate  the  Bible 
from  the  counter,  we  have  at  the  same  time  had 
colporteurs  constantly  at  work  in  the  city,  going 
into  the  markets  and  through  the  streets,  and  all 
round  about  the  suburbs,  seeking  in  every  palace 
and  hamlet  to  offer  the  inhabitants  the  v/ritten 
message  of  salvation. 

I  have  observed,  however,  that  the  native  col- 
porteurs were  inclined  to  confine  their  efforts  in 
this  and  other  large  cities  principally  to  the  mar- 
kets and  sections  inhabited  by  the  middle  and 
lower  classes,  while  the  chief  merchants,  bankers, 
doctors,  lawyers  and  others  were  being  neglected. 
Accordingly  one  of  our  best  qualified  men,  Mr. 
F.  C.  Glass,  to  whose  work  reference  will  be  made 
elsewhere,  undertook  a  canvass  of  the  larger  es- 
tablishments and  offices  in  the  centre  of  the  city. 
The  results  have  been  most  gratifying,  and  the 


Rio  de  Janeiro  39 

sales  far  beyond  what  we  had  expected.  His  ex- 
periences and  the  conversations  had  about  the 
Bible  would  make  a  thrilling  little  volume. 

In  this  connection  I  may  refer  to  the  courteous 
acknowledgment  of  a  copy  of  the  Bible  presented 
to  President  Prudente  Moraes  on  the  occasion 
of  his  inauguration,  expressing  his  thanks  for 
the  favour  conferred. 

Not  long  since  I  was  talking  with  a  photog- 
rapher about  the  Bible ;  he  said  he  had  once  been 
in  the  United  States,  and  what  impressed  him 
most  on  his  arrival  in  New  York  in  1851,  after 
a  long  voyage,  was  that  a  man  from  the  Bible 
House  came  on  board  and  offered  to  supply  all 
on  the  vessel  with  the  Scriptures  in  their  own 
languages.  He  says  that  he  remained  in  the 
country  but  a  short  time,  but  that  he  has  ever 
since  been  a  reader  of  the  Bible,  which  has  had 
an  influence  over  his  life  for  nearly  fifty  years. 
Though  he  had  not  formally  left  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  he  had  long  since  abandoned 
its  unscriptural  practices.  As  our  interview  was 
about  to  end,  I  handed  him  my  card  showing 
that  I  was  agent  for  the  Bible  Society  in  Brazil. 
He  was  delighted  to  recognize  me,  and  was  so 
grateful  for  the  Bible  which  was  placed  in  his 
hands  so  long  ago  that  tears  of  joy  ran  down  his 
cheeks.  His  locks  are  frosty  with  age,  and  he 
may  not  long  remain  on  earth,  but  I  trust  that 
that  Bible  may  yet  be  of  greater  comfort  to  him. 

There    are    a    number    of    Roman    Catholic 


40  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

churches,  convents  and  charitable  institutions  of 
note  in  and  around  the  city.  Our  Bible  distribu- 
tion is  carried  on  under  the  shadows  of  their 
many  towers  and  about  their  great  w^alls.  Many 
of  the  multitude  of  priests  about  the  city  are 
active  in  their  opposition  to  and  denunciations  of 
our  work.  One  day  a  colporteur,  Sr.  Andre 
Cayret,  while  crossing  the  bay  on  the  ferry,  went 
among  the  passengers,  offering  his  Bibles ;  a 
priest  among  them  was  greatly  aroused,  and  came 
up  asking  the  price  of  the  books.  The  colporteur 
had  not  observed  that  he  was  opposing  their  sale. 
When  told  the  amount  he  took  the  money  from 
his  pocket,  handed  it  to  the  colporteur  and  took 
charge  of  the  Bibles  and  Testaments.  He  then 
warned  all  the  passengers  that  they  were  evil 
and  dangerous  books,  and  said  that  in  evidence 
of  his  desire  to  destroy  them,  he  had  paid  his 
own  money  for  them,  and  that  he  was  going  to 
throw  them  into  the  water,  which  he  did  without 
giving  the  colporteur  even  a  chance  to  try  to  get 
them  back. 

I  was  preaching  once  in  the  theatre  of  a  small 
town  in  the  north  of  Brazil,  and  had  among  my 
auditors  a  girl  who  had  recently  bought  a  New 
Testament  from  one  of  our  colporteurs.  Later 
her  father  moved  to  Rio  de  Janeiro.  She  became 
a  teacher  in  one  of  the  Mission  Schools,  was  con- 
verted and  joined  one  of  the  Protestant  churches. 
She  never  goes  to  church  without  her  Bible  in 
her  hand.     A  few  months  ago,  as  she  was  pass- 


Rio  de  Janeiro  41 

ing  along  the  principal  street  of  this  city,  she 
chanced  to  meet  a  priest  who  had  been  a  great 
friend  of  the  family,  and  still  manifests  much 
interest  in  them.  As  she  stopped  to  shake  hands 
with  him,  she  passed  the  Bible  from  her  right 
to  her  left  hand.  He  said,  ''  What  book  is  that 
you  have  ?  "  She  replied  by  turning  the  back  to 
him  with  the  word  "  Biblia  "  on  it  in  gold  letters. 
He  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  my  child,  you  must  not  read 
that  book ;  throw  it  away."  Of  course,  she  did 
no  such  thing,  but  tried  to  make  him  realize  its 
priceless  value.  He  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  most 
enlightened  Brazilian  priests,  and  this  incident 
took  place  in  broad  daylight  in  the  most  fre- 
quented street  of  the  city  of  Rio  de  Janeiro. 

But  let  us  turn  now  to  another  item  in  the 
work  about  Rio.  Some  time  ago  application  was 
made  to  the  American  Bible  Society  for  a  grant 
from  the  fund  for  printing  the  Scriptures  for  the 
blind,  sufficient  to  print  the  Gospel  of  John  in 
Portuguese.  A  contract  was  made  to  have  the 
work  done  in  the  Institute  Benjamin  Constant,  at 
Rio  de  Janeiro.  On  the  completion  of  the  book 
I  at  once  announced  it  in  our  Protestant  mission 
papers  and  sent  out  a  little  circular  asking  for 
the  addresses  of  the  blind  who  could  read.  There 
appeared  immediately  in  one  of  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic papers  of  the  city  the  following  notice: 

"  It  is  with  deep  regret  that  we  here  relate  a 
grievous  fact  that  ocurred  in  the  Institute  Ben- 
jamin  Constant   for  the   blind.     This   establish- 


42  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

ment,  in  charge  of  Dr.  Brazil  Silvado,  to  whom 
we  owe  much,  not  only  as  regards  public  order 
and  safety  (he  having  recently  been  the  Chief  of 
Police  for  the  city),  but  also  for  the  founding  of 
the  model  school  'Fifteenth  of  November,'  was 
visited  a  number  of  times  by  a  Protestant  pastor, 
who,  after  much  palaver,  ordered  printed  some 
five  hundred  copies  of  the  Gospel  of  John  (muti- 
lated and  savouring  of  the  reformers)  according 
to  the  point  system  for  the  blind.  We  do  not 
know  whether  the  said  pastor  paid,  or  is  going  to 
pay  for  the  work,  but  we  may  take  it  for  granted 
that  he  will  pay  for  it,  because  the  name  of  Dr. 
Brazil  Silvado  is  a  guarantee;  however,  let  the 
unfortunates  who  have  lost  their  sight  be  upon 
their  guard,  for  it  is  designed  to  make  them  a 
present  of  a  book  condemned  by  the  Holy 
Church. 

"  We  do  not  think  this  act  of  the  Protestants 
very  generous  or  courteous;  they  wish  to  take 
advantage  of  the  fact  that  there  does  not  exist  a 
variety  and  an  abundance  of  literature  in  the 
point  system  for  the  blind,  and  also  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  these  our  brothers.  Since  they  have 
not  accomplished  anything  among  those  who  can 
see,  they  now  endeavour  to  extend  their  propa- 
ganda in  an  establishment  for  the  blind. 

"  It  is  with  great  sorrow  that  we  mention  these 
facts,  especially  since  they  occurred  in  an  estab- 
lishment directed  by  Dr.  Brazil  Silvado  the 
founder  of  the  school  *  Fifteenth  of  November/ 


Rio  de  Janeiro  43 

but  the  exceptional  gravity  of  the  notice  justifies 
our  fear.  It  behooves  the  CathoUc  associations, 
and  more  particularly  the  well  deserving  Society 
of  St.  Vincente  de  Paulo,  to  visit  and  interest 
themselves  in  the  blind,  deaf  and  dumb,  etc.,  and 
in  general  all  those  who  suffer  and  have  need  of 
comfort  and  consolation.  We  are  here  ready  to 
receive  of  all  charitable  persons,  offerings,  be 
they  ever  so  small,  for  the  purpose  of  printing 
and  distributing  gratuitously  for  the  blind  a  true 
copy  of  the  Gospel  of  John." 

Two  weeks  after  this  appeal  had  been  made 
the  same  paper  announced  that  four  dollars  had 
been  subscribed  for  this  purpose,  and  half  of  that 
was  promised  by  the  editor. 

Before  taking  from  the  printing  office  of  this 
establishment  the  last  hundred  copies  of  the  Gos- 
pel, I  sought  to  know  how  many  of  the  blind  de- 
sired to  read  it.  There  were  in  the  school  some 
eight  or  ten  professors  and  some  seventy  odd 
pupils.  I  was  greatly  delighted  to  have  about 
half  of  the  teachers  and  pupils  come  up  and  ask 
for  copies;  many  of  them  seemed  very  grateful, 
and  expressed  most  hearty  delight  at  the  thought 
of  now  being  able  to  read  som^e  part  of  the  Word 
of  God  for  themselves.  Since  then  I  have  had 
several  applications  for  copies  from  students  in 
the  school,  and  we  are  getting  applications  from 
all  sections  of  the  country  from  those  who  have 
been  taught  to  read  in  this  institution. 

I  presented  copies  of  the  work  to  six  of  the 


44  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

principal  and  most  liberal  daily  papers  of  the 
city ;  and  each  of  them  made  public  acknowledg- 
ment and  gave  very  complimentary  notices  of  the 
book  and  of  the  American  Bible  Society.  This 
served  to  bring  the  work  to  the  attention  of  the 
public  as  could  not  have  otherwise  been  done. 

One  day,  just  as  I  passed  out  of  the  door  of 
our  Bible  store,  my  attention  was  attracted  to  a 
blind  man  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  being 
led  by  a  boy.  I  had  gone  but  a  few  steps  when 
the  inquiry  arose  in  my  mind,  whether  or  not  he 
might  be  able  to  read  according  to  the  system  for 
the  blind,  and  I  was  led  to  turn  and  follow  them. 
When  I  asked  him  if  he  knew  how  to  read,  he 
replied  that  he  did,  and  that  he  had  been  taught 
in  the  Institute  for  the  Blind  in  this  city.  I  asked 
him  if  he  had  any  books  to  read.  He  replied, 
"  yes,  two  or  three,"  and  that  if  I  desired  one,  he 
could  get  it  for  me  from  the  Institute.  To  my 
inquiry  whether  he  would  like  to  have  another 
book,  one  of  which  perhaps  he  had  known  noth- 
ing ;  he  replied  that  he  would,  and  led  by  the  boy 
he  followed  me  into  the  store.  I  handed  him  a 
copy  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John.  He  at  once  began 
to  read  and  expressed  great  surprise,  it  was  so 
new  and  wonderful  to  him.  As  he  read  aloud, 
sitting  near  the  door,  the  people  passing  in  the 
street  were  soon  attracted  by  the  sight,  and  one 
after  another  stopped  to  listen,  evidently  never 
before  having  seen  a  blind  person  reading.  By 
and  by  I  asked  him  to  read  the  ninth  chapter, 


Rio  de  Janeiro  45 

which  gives  the  account  of  the  opening  of  the 
eyes  of  the  man  born  blind.  About  twenty-five 
persons  had  gathered  around  him.  He  was 
greatly  delighted  and  interested  in  the  story,  and 
the  hearers  seemed  as  much  interested  now  in 
what  he  was  reading  as  they  had  been  at  first  in 
seeing  him  read.  After  a  time  he  went  on  his  way 
rejoicing,  carrying  with  him  his  treasure,  and  say- 
ing that  he  had  several  blind  friends  whom  he 
would  tell  about  this  beautiful  book.  I  have 
never  had  more  grateful  expressions  from  any 
persons  than  have  come  from  the  blind  who  have 
received  copies  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John. 

The  following  story  strikingly  illustrates  how 
God  works  through  his  written  Word.  Twenty 
years  ago  a  negro  slave  living  in  a  small  village 
at  the  foot  of  the  Organ  mountains,  which  over- 
look the  city  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  was  sent  to  clean 
away  the  trash  that  had  accumulated  under  a 
shed  adjoining  the  house.  There  was  a  barrel 
filled  with  old  papers  which  he  was  ordered  to 
empty,  and  as  he  was  throwing  them  out,  he  dis- 
covered an  old  book ;  opening  it  he  saw  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  concluded  that  it  must  be  a 
good  book.  The  title  page  reads :  "  O  Novo 
Testamento,  isto  e  o  Novo  Concerto  de  Nosso 
Fiel  Senhor  e  Redemptor,  Jesu  Christo."  He  hid 
the  book  under  his  coat  until  the  day's  work  was 
done.  He  was  a  devout  Roman  Catholic,  and 
had  learned  to  read  for  the  purpose  of  reading 
the  prayers  of  the  church.     At  night  he  sat  down 


46  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

by  a  dim  light  in  his  cabin,  and  there  he  remained 
the  whole  night  reading  that  wonderful  book. 
No  sleep  came  to  his  eyes,  but,  as  he  told  me, 
many  times  tears  flowed  down  his  cheeks,  though 
he  could  not  tell  why.  Night  after  night  he 
would  read,  and  many  times  the  reading  would 
make  him  weep.  This  was  kept  up  for  seventeen 
years.  He  kept  the  book  with  great  care  and 
reverence,  and  would  never  allow  anything  to  be 
placed  on  top  of  the  box  where  he  kept  it;  he 
regarded  it  a  thing  so  holy  that  he  would  never 
allow  the  dust  to  collect  on  the  box.  He  had 
images  and  saints,  but  this  book  soon  became  to 
him  more  sacred  and  holy  than  they.  For  seven- 
teen years  he  kept  wondering  day  by  day  what 
was  the  real  meaning  of  all  the  wonderful  things 
he  was  reading  from  that  book. 

A  few  years  ago  he  happened  to  be  in  a  small 
village  near  the  Bay  of  Rio,  where  he  met  a  black 
woman  who  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  Prot- 
estant churches  of  Rio.  As  soon  as  she  knew 
that  he  had  read  the  New  Testament  she  began 
talking  with  him  about  it.  He  asked  many  ques- 
tions, and  she  gave  answers  and  explanations. 
He  says  that  in  this  conversation,  as  with  Saul 
of  Tarsus,  the  scales  fell  from  his  eyes,  the  love 
of  God  filled  his  soul,  and  he  then  and  there  found 
a  peace  and  joy  for  which  he  had  been  longing 
seventeen  years. 

Shortly  thereafter  he  returned  to  his  cabin  in 
the  mountains,  and  for  two  years  saw  no  one  of 


Rio  de  Janeiro  47 

this  faith.  A  year  ago  one  of  the  colporteurs  of 
the  American  Bible  Society  passing  through  that 
section  for  the  first  time,  chanced  to  meet  him; 
from  the  colporteur  he  received  some  instruction 
and  bought  a  Bible. 

While  conducting  a  little  service  in  the  dining 
room  of  a  hotel  at  a  village  in  the  mountains,  my 
attention  was  attracted  by  the  intelligent  interest 
and  hearty  appreciation  manifested  by  an  old 
black  man  who  sat  near  me.  After  the  service  I 
had  a  conversation  with  him,  and  he  related  to 
me  the  story  I  have  told.  I  shall  never  forget 
the  joy  and  brightness  expressed  by  that  black 
face.  It  was  marvellous  to  hear  him  tell  the  story 
of  that  Testament  and  of  his  conversion.  He 
had  obtained  a  wonderful  knowledge  of  the 
Word  of  God  just  from  reading  that  book.  The 
next  morning,  as  I  was  leaving  the  hotel,  he  made 
me  a  present  of  his  precious  treasure,  saying  that 
since  he  bought  the  Bible  with  larger  print,  he 
did  not  need  the  Testament,  and  as  it  might  be  of 
service  to  me  he  would  give  it  up  for  the  good 
of  the  cause. 

This  Testament  was  printed  at  Chelsea,  Eng- 
land, 181 7,  by  Tilling  &  nes   (the  first  part 

of  the  second  name  has  been  destroyed  by  some 
means).  The  name  H.  Hayne  is  the  first  on  the 
flyleaf,  then  comes  that  of  Manoel  Florianno  de 
Souza.  The  name  of  the  old  man  who  gave  it 
me  is  Francisco  Manoel  Lago.  I  have  seen  it 
recorded  somewhere  that  from  1820  to  1836  a 


48  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

few  copies  of  the  Scriptures  in  Portuguese  were 
sent  from  England  to  English  merchants  residing 
in  Rio,  and  by  them  were  given  to  people  coming 
in  from  the  country.  I  have  found  an  occasional 
copy  of  these  early  consignments  still  in  exist- 
ence; some  of  them  have  wrought  wonderful 
results,  and  I  think  it  quite  probable  that  the  Tes- 
tament now  in  question  may  have  found  its  way 
to  Brazil  at  that  early  date,  perhaps  eighty  years 
ago. 

We  might  go  on  multiplying  incidents  and  ob- 
servations of  the  work  in  and  about  Rio  sufficient 
to  fill  a  volume.  This  chapter  however  would 
not  be  complete  without  a  reference  to  other  fea- 
tures of  the  evangelistic  work  in  close  sympathy 
with  that  of  the  American  Bible  Society.  Mis- 
sionaries of  different  Boards,  pastors  of  various 
denominations  have  been  most  efficient  colabour- 
ers,  while  not  a  few  laymen  have  been  loyal 
supporters  of  the  work.  I  mention  first  my  col- 
league in  Bible  distribution,  the  Rev.  Joao  M. 
dos  Santos,  agent  of  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society,  also  pastor  of  the  Evangelical 
Fluminense  Church,  an  independent  movement 
started  by  a  Scotchman,  Dr.  Robert  R.  Kalley  in 
the  year  1855,  and  with  a  membership  of  587. 
Mr.  Santos,  a  Brazilian  who  was  educated  for 
the  ministry  in  England,  has  been  agent  for  the 
Bible  Society  since  1879.  During  this  period  he 
reports  46,234  Bibles,  96,411    New    Testaments 


Rio  de  Janeiro  49 

and  229,137  separate  Gospels  and  portions  of 
Scripture  put  into  circulation.  For  the  fourteen 
years  of  my  connection  with  the  American  Bible 
Society  Agency,  he  has  kept  an  open  store  in  an 
important  street  in  the  centre  of  the  city.  We 
have  all  the  time  been  near  neighbours,  and  our 
relations  have  been  most  cordial.  On  account  of 
his  pastorate  he  has  not  been  able  to  travel  ex- 
tensively with  his  colporteurs. 

The  churches  and  missionaries  connected  with 
the  various  missions  have  at  all  times  entered 
heartily  into  the  work.  Independent  Christian 
workers  about  the  city  have  done  much  for  Bible 
distribution  and  not  a  few  foreign  merchants, 
business  and  professional  men  have  given  sub- 
stantial support  in  many  ways,  while  government 
officials  have  shown  their  good  will  in  various 
ways.  The  United  States  diplomatic  and  con- 
sular representatives  have  been  most  courteous 
and  attentive. 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  Myron  A.  Clark,  who  was 
sent  out  by  the  International  Committee,  was  or- 
ganized in  the  office  of  the  American  Bible  So- 
ciety Agency  in  this  city  in  the  year  1893.  This 
movement  has  prospered  and  the  Association  has 
a  magnificent  building  in  the  centre  of  the  city. 
The  relations  between  our  work  and  theirs  have 
all  the  time  been  most  cordial  and  helpful. 

The  Bible  Society  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  to 


50  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

all  the  Evangelical  papers  published  in  this  city 
and  throughout  the  country;  they  now  number 
about  a  dozen. 

On  the  inner  circle  of  office  work  there  have 
been  at  times  vexations  and  hardships.  To  an 
American,  many  of  the  Brazilian  ways  of  dis- 
patching business  in  the  Custom-House,  Post 
Office  and  other  Public  Departments,  in  railroad 
and  steamship  offices,  banks  and  commercial 
houses  are  indeed  a  mystery.  Often  one  cannot 
help  having  the  conviction  that  Public  Depart- 
ments exist  principally  for  giving  employment  to 
the  largest  number  of  employees.  The  delays 
and  the  time  required  to  get  through  with  the 
red  tape  ceremony  and  the  tedious  route  of  a 
multitude  of  secretaries  in  dispatching  the  sim- 
plest paper  are  enough  to  try  the  patience  of  the 
most  forbearing ;  then  after  spending  many  days, 
buying  a  number  of  revenue  stamps  and  paying 
so  many  fees,  to  be  told,  when  you  ask  for  your 
paper,  "  so  amanba,"  (only  to-morrow)  will  they 
be  ready,  is  trying  in  the  extreme. 

South  American  Republics  are  famous  for 
revolutions,  and  Brazil,  the  youngest  of  them  all, 
is  not  without  a  small  share  in  the  fame.  The 
most  notable  in  her  short  history  of  ten  years  is 
the  naval  revolt  which  lasted  from  September, 
1893,  to  March,  1894.  We  in  Rio  were  in  the 
very  midst  of  the  fight  and  witnessed  almost  daily 
attempts  or  pretences  at  bombardments  and  en- 
gagements.    The  roar  of  cannon  and  rifle  were 


Rio  de  Janeiro  ji 

familiar  sounds  every  day  for  six  months.  All 
transportation  and  travel  was  largely  impeded, 
and  of  course,  our  Bible  work  suffered  somewhat. 
The  war  vessels  frequently  took  their  anchorage 
at  a  certain  point  in  the  bay  to  fire  at  a  cannon 
planted  on  Castle  Hill.  Our  Bible  store  and 
office  was  in  the  direct  line  of  fire  just  behind  the 
bill,  and  several  times  the  shot  tore  up  the  roof 
and  walls  of  our  building;  once  a  six  inch  shell 
bored  through  the  wall,  exploded,  and  the  pieces 
made  holes  through  the  inside  dividing  walls.  At 
another  time  a  ball  piercing  the  roof  struck  a 
bookstand  and  damaged  a  number  of  books ;  for- 
tunately no  one  in  the  place  was  hurt. 


Ill 

Along  the  Railroad 

IN  THE  PROVINCES  OF  RIO  DE  JANEIRO  AND  MINAS 
GERAES — JUIZ  DE  FORA OURO  PRETO. 

TURNING  now  to  the  great  interior  it 
is  my  purpose  to  take  the  reader  with 
the  faithful  colporteurs  over  a  number 
of  the  long,  and  at  times,  perilous,  journeys  that 
we  have  made  by  sea  and  land  to  accomplish  the 
mission  of  the  American  Bible  Society  to  the  in- 
habitants that  dwell  beneath  the  Southern  Cross. 

The  reader  should  bear  in  mind  that  the  se- 
quence of  journeys  is  geographical  rather  than 
chronological,  and  in  beginning  the  account  of 
each  jouniey,  it  will  be  well  to  consult  the  map. 

;My  first  journey  through  the  Provinces  of  Rio 
de  Janeiro  and  Minas  Geraes  as  agent  of  the 
American  Bible  Society  was  begun  on  Novem- 
ber 24th,  1887.  The  Central  Railroad,  known 
also  as  the  line  of  Dom  Pedro  II.,  commenced 
in  1856,  the  first  section  being  opened  to 
traffic  in  1857,  starts  from  the  city  of  Rio 
de  Janeiro  and  extends  first  across  a  low 
and  somewhat  marshy  land  for  about  forty 
miles  to  the  foot  of  the  Serra  do  Alar. 
52 


Along  the  Railroad  53 

Along  the  way  one  gets  a  fair  view  of  a 
EraziHan  forest  of  small  trees  and  undergrowth, 
matted  together  with  parasites,  forming  almost 
a  compact  mass  of  green,  in  which  may  be  seen 
many  orchids  of  various  kinds.  The  next  sec- 
tion, reaching  up  through  the  Serra  do  Mar  over 
into  the  valley  of  the  Parahyba  river,  a  distance 
of  some  twenty-five  miles,  is  in  many  respects 
one  of  remarkable  interest.  Its  construction  is 
a  notable  feat  of  American  engineering  skill  and 
perseverance,  with  its  steep  grades,  sharp  curves 
and  numerous  tunnels,  cut  mostly  through  solid 
rock  and  varying  in  length  from  three  hundred 
to  seven  thousand  three  hundred  feet.  Moun- 
tains, hills  and  valleys,  flowing  streams  and  dash- 
ing cataracts,  wild  forests  and  coffee  plantations, 
mingle  in  a  panorama  of  indescribable  interest 
and  beauty,  through  which  the  American 
"  horse,"  as  the  great  Baldwin  locomotives  con- 
structed especially  for  this  difficult  and  steep 
grade,  were  first  called,  goes  snorting  along,  car- 
rying the  passengers  at  the  rate  of  about  fifteen 
miles  an  hour.  In  a  distance  of  twenty-one  miles 
there  is  a  rise  of  about  1,335  ^^^t,  while  from  the 
summit  to  the  city  of  Barra  do  Pirahy  on  the 
banks  of  the  Parahyba  river,  a  distance  of  more 
than  ten  miles,  there  is  a  fall  of  210  feet.  This 
city  is  a  centre  of  railroad  traffic,  lines  branching 
off  to  the  city  of  vSao  Paulo,  a  distance  of  298 
miles  from  Rio  de  Janeiro,  to  the  city  of  Entre 
Rios,   at   the   mouth   of   the    Parahybuna   river. 


54  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

about  fifty-five  miles  distant,  and  thence  about 
forty  miles  to  Porto  Novo  da  Cunha,  where  it 
connects  with  the  Leopoldina  Railway,  while  an- 
other branch  follows  the  Parahybuna  river 
through  the  interior  of  the  State  of  Minas 
Geraes. 

Here  I  met  one  of  our  colporteurs  who  had  been 
spending  some  days  in  canvassing  the  town  and 
vicinity,  and  was  convinced  that  this  might  prove 
to  be  an  important  point  for  offering  the  Scrip- 
tures to  the  thousands  of  persons  coming  from 
and  returning  to  the  great  interior.  The  passenger 
trains  going  each  way  usually  stop  at  this  point 
twenty  minutes  for  meals  and  to  change  engines, 
thus  giving  a  colporteur  time  to  offer  the  Scrip- 
tures to  all  who  may  be  on  board.  At  certain 
seasons  of  the  year  when  the  passenger  traffic  is 
always  large  we  have  had  a  colporteur  devote 
almost  all  his  time  to  offering  the  Scriptures  to 
passengers  at  this  point,  and  hundreds  of  copies 
have  been  purchased  by  persons  scattered  for 
many  miles  through  the  interior  of  the  country. 

We  have  found  by  experience  that  the  offering 
of  the  Scriptures  in  the  railroad  trains  is  an  im- 
portant feature  of  the  colportage  work,  and 
sometimes  the  colporteur  has  made  good  sales 
by  boarding  a  passing  train  from  our  station  to 
another  and  then  returning  by  the  next  train  in 
the  opposite  direction. 

On  the  journey  from  Barra  do  Pirahy  to  Entre 
Rios,  we  sold  a  few  copies  of  the  Word  to  fellow- 


Along  the  Railroad  55 

passengers,  and  had  some  interesting  conversa- 
tions on  the  subject  of  religion. 

At  the  town  of  Entre  Rios,  while  our  train  was 
being  divided  into  two  sections  for  the  two  dif- 
ferent branches,  standing  on  the  platform,  I  sold 
fourteen  copies  of  the  Scriptures  and  had  an  in- 
teresting conversation  of  a  few  minutes  with  a 
young  man  who  lived  some  miles  in  the  country. 
He  urged  me  to  visit  him  and  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel in  his  community,  assuring  me  that  I  would 
find  there  a  warm  welcome. 

From  this  place  also  hundreds  of  copies  of  the 
Scriptures  have  been  distributed  during  these 
fourteen  years.  The  surrounding  coffee  dis- 
tricts, the  macadamized  stage  road  from  Petropo- 
lis  to  Juiz  de  Fora,  the  bifurcation  of  the  railroad 
into  two  valleys,  all  combine  to  indicate  the  im- 
portance of  this  town.  In  former  times  the  stage 
ride  over  this  macadamized  road  referred  to  was 
one  of  the  finest  and  most  interesting  in  Brazil. 
With  the  building  of  the  railroad,  this  has  largely 
fallen  into  disuse  and  decay,  and  the  old  stage 
coaches  are  being  thrown  aside  and  going  to 
decay  in  the  tropical  sun  and  rains.  They  how- 
ever did  good  service  carrying  the  colporteur  and 
his  Bibles,  and  enabling  him  to  place  copies  of  the 
word  of  life  in  the  hands  of  many.  The  ride  of 
about  fifty  miles  up  the  valley  of  the  Parahybuna 
river  from  Entre  Rios,  860  feet  above  the  bed  of 
the  sea,  to  the  city  of  Juiz  de  Fora,  about  2,200 
feet  above  the  sea,  is  one  of  much  interest.     The 


^6  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

hills  covered  with  coffee  trees  and  forests,  val- 
leys of  cultivated  fields  and  pasture  lands,  the 
old  farm  houses  and  slave  quarters,  the  huge 
grey  and  brown  rocks  jutting  out  here  and  there 
and  rising  sometimes  to  four  or  five  hundred  feet 
above  the  road,  the  waters  of  the  Parahybuna 
rushing  along  and  now  and  then  leaping  and 
dashing  over  precipices  and  through  great 
gorges,  all  combine  to  divert  and  greatly  interest 
the  passenger  as  the  train  bears  him  winding 
around  sharp  curves  and  up  steep  grades  through 
tunnels  on  to  an  elevated  plateau. 

At  Juiz  de  Fora,  170  miles  from  Rio  de  Jan- 
eiro, we  stopped  for  a  few  days'  work  and  to  re- 
plenish our  supply  of  books,  and  found  that  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  (preceded, 
however  by  the  colporteur  of  the  Bible  Society) 
had  begun  work. 

This  growing  city  has  been  one  of  the  most 
important  centres  of  our  fourteen  years'  work, 
and  has  considerable  commercial  importance. 
The  surrounding  hilly  country  forms  one  of  the 
rich  and  extensive  coffee  producing  districts  of 
Brazil,  and  is  very  favourable  to  the  growth  of 
com,  beans,  and  other  products,  as  well  as  to 
cattle  and  stock  raising,  and  there  are  several  im- 
portant manufacturing  enterprises  located  in  it. 
The  population  at  present  numbers  about  15,000 
souls.  American  enterprise,  taking  advantage 
of  the  power  that  for  centuries  has  been  going  to 
waste  in  the  cascades  of  the  Parahybuna  river  a 


^^^^HpH.  U'^^H 

j2 

^          """tl^E 

\ 

Along  the  Railroad  57 

few  miles  distant,  has  recently  put  in  an  electric 
power  plant,  and  the  well  furnished  stores,  neat 
and  comfortable  private  and  public  buildings, 
electric  lights,  water  supply,  drainage,  street-cars, 
shops,  factories,  etc.,  make  it  stand  in  striking 
contrast  with  the  description  given  by  Capt.  Rich- 
ard F.  Burton  so  recently  as  1867 :  **  Juiz  de 
Fora  is  a  single  dusty  or  muddy  street,  or  rather 
road,  across  which  palms  are  planted  in  pairs. 
The  dwellings  are  low  and  poor,  mostly  door  and 
window,  as  the  phrase  is."  In  this  development 
much  is  due  to  the  influence^  and  efforts  of  a 
Brazilian  "  of  rare  enterprise,  pluck,  perseverance 
and  determined  will ;  "  and  also  to  that  of  the 
German  Colony  located  there  by  the  Uniao  e 
Industria  Company  in  the  year  i860;  the  number 
of  colonists  was  1,318. 

Our  colporteurs  have  from  time  to  time  ex- 
tended the  work  along  the  railroads  in  three  di- 
rections and  have  traversed  the  whole  country 
round  about,  going  on  foot  and  on  mule-back 
from  this  centre.  During  my  first  visit  to  the 
town,  I  secured  from  among  the  Protestant  be- 
lievers a  man  who  did  several  years  of  valuable 
colportage  work,  travelling  for  thousands  of  miles 
with  his  pack-mules  through  the  interior;  and 
the  Methodist  Church  located  here  has  furnished 
two  other  colporteurs  who  have  given  a  number 
of  years  to  the  work;  and  others  also  who  have 
worked  for  less  time.  Many  boxes  of  the  Sa- 
cred  Scriptures   have   been   unloaded   from   the 


58  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

trains  at  this  place  and  the  books  scattered  for 
miles  in  every  direction.  The  Methodist  mis- 
sionaries following  in  the  tracks  of  the  colpor- 
teurs, have  gathered  up  the  fruits  in  a  large  meas- 
ure, and  there  is  now  in  this  section  of  the  State 
a  large  and  most  prosperous  Presiding  Elder's 
District,  composed  of  seven  pastoral  charges 
with  a  church  membership  of  nearly  1,000.  The 
colporteurs  would  go  out  in  all  directions,  sowing 
the  seed,  talking  with  the  people  and  reading  to 
them  the  Words  of  Life,  then  return  to  tell  the 
preachers  of  the  marvellous  interest  awakened 
and  of  the  desire  upon  the  part  of  many  to  know 
more  of  the  Way  of  Life;  and  the  missionaries 
at  this  station  bear  me  witness  that  their  work 
has  developed  and  is  still  extending  along  the 
lines  opened  up  by  these  pioneers  of  the  Bible 
Society.  Experience  has  demonstrated  the  wis- 
dom of  beginning  such  work  in  the  important 
centres  of  commerce  and  education  and  extend- 
ing outward  to  the  limits  of  civilization.  And, 
while  marvellous  results  have  been  seen  in  the 
small  towns,  villages  and  country  settlements, 
there  has  been  a  corresponding  development  in 
the  city  of  Juiz  de  Fora. 

In  no  part  of  the  country  have  there  been  more 
rapid  developments  from  the  labours  of  Gospel 
workers  than  through  this  section  of  the  State 
of  Minas  Geraes;  and  it  should  be  recorded  for 
the  encouragement  of  all  persons  who  have  con- 
tributed to  the  cause  of  the  American  Bible  So- 


Along  the  Railroad  59 

ciety  that  the  colporteurs  have  been  the  pioneers 
and  the  constant  companions  of  the  preachers  in 
the  extension  and  development  of  this  work,  and 
have  laid  the  foundation  for  the  educational  work 
of  Cranberry  College  and  other  institutions. 

From  Juiz  de  Fora  the  Central  Railroad  ex- 
tends along  a  valley  for  a  distance  of  about  thirty- 
five  miles  across  the  plateau  which  gradually  rises 
until  it  reaches  the  station  of  Mantiqueira  about 
2,810  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea  at  the  base 
of  the  Serra  de  Mantiqueira.  It  is  quite  notice- 
able that  coffee  planting  in  this  region  is  much 
less  extensive  than  it  is  farther  down  on  the 
plateau,  and  almost  disappears  as  we  go  up  the 
Serra.  This  is  due  to  the  colder  temperature  and 
the  frosts.  In  the  region  round  about  Mantiqueira 
and  the  next  railroad  station  above  the  pasture 
lands  are  magnificent,  and  cattle  raising  is  quite 
an  industry.  Since  the  railroad  has  reached  this 
section,  milk  and  butter  are  being  shipped  daily 
in  increasing  quantities  to  Rio  de  Janeiro,  a  dis- 
tance of  more  than  200  miles.  The  very  large 
increase  in  the  consumption  of  milk  and  the 
national  or  homemade  butter  has  been  very  no- 
ticeable during  the  last  ten  years,  especially  in 
the  city  of  Rio  de  Janeiro. 

The  ascent  of  the  Serra  from  Mantiqueira  to 
Barbacena,  a  distance  of  about  twenty-five  miles, 
and  a  rise  in  altitude  of  about  775  feet,  winds 
around  the  hillsides  furnishing  constantly  chang- 
ing views  of  most  magnificent  scenery;   this  rise 


6o  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

of  775  feet  being  made  almost  entirely  in  a  dis- 
tance of  about  ten  miles.  On  our  first  journey 
over  this  section  we  sold  a  number  of  copies  of 
the  Scriptures  to  fellow  passengers  and  to  per- 
sons at  the  different  stations ;  some  of  the  copies 
sold  were  taken  long  distances  to  homes  far  away 
among  the  hills  and  mountains.  Many  looked  on 
and  seemed  to  think  our  efforts  to  get  men  to 
buy  Bibles  a  very  strange  proceeding.  One  very 
old  man  living  a  long  distance  from  the  railroad 
bought  a  copy  to  take  home  with  him,  saying  that 
he  could  not  read  much  but  his  children  could. 
We  were  much  impressed  with  his  seeming  sin- 
cerity of  heart  and  desire  to  know  the  truth  of 
God.  The  priests  were  active  among  the  pas- 
sengers trying  to  induce  them  not  to  buy  our 
Bibles,  telling  them  that  they  were  false  and  dan- 
gerous books.  At  another  time  while  passing 
over  this  same  section  of  the  road  in  company 
with  a  colporteur,  an  evangelist  and  two  mis- 
sionaries, we  had  a  most  interesting  and  some- 
what novel  experience.  We  began  talking  with 
the  passengers  and  offering  them  the  Scriptures, 
and  were  awakening  considerable  interest 
throughout  the  train,  when  a  priest  was  suddenly 
aroused,  went  to  the  conductor  of  the  train  and 
made  complaint  that  we  were  annoying  the  pas- 
sengers ;  several  of  the  more  devout  followers  of 
his  way  joined  with  him  in  the  complaint.  It 
was  far  from  our  purpose  to  create  any  disturb- 
ance among  our  fellow  passengers,  and  as  we 


Along  the  Railroad  6i 

could  only  carry  on  such  work  on  the  train  by 
permission,  we  had  to  comply  with  the  conduc- 
tor's orders  and  cease  our  selling;  fortunately 
we  had  supplied  nearly  all  who  desired  to  buy 
before  he  interfered.  I  have  several  times  been 
thus  forbidden  to  sell  books  on  the  train,  but  in 
ahiiost  every  case  have  found  that  some  priest 
or  religious  fanatic  had  brought  pressure  to  bear 
upon  the  conductor  to  stop  me. 

At  this  time  we  had  a  conversation  with  a 
very  devout  fellow  passenger  who  was  on  a  pil- 
grimage of  more  than  loo  miles  to  fulfill  a  prom- 
ise of  some  ten  years  standing  to  the  famous 
image  of  Nosso  Senhor  de  Congonhas.  He  told 
me  this  story:  his  little  three-year-old  boy  had 
on  one  occasion  thrust  his  hand  into  a  kettle  of 
boiling  syrup  and  was  so  badly  burned  that  they 
thought  the  little  fellow  would  die  from  the 
effects.  The  father  prayed  to  this  image,  of 
which  he  had  a  consecrated  picture  in  his  house, 
and  made  a  vow  that  if  he  would  cure  the  child, 
he  would  go  on  a  pilgrimage  to  his  temple  and 
burn  the  child's  weight  in  wax  candles  before  the 
altar.  He  was  a  poor  tiller  of  the  soil  with  a 
large  family,  and  said  to  me  that  he  had  been 
working  hard  for  ten  years  and  saving  up  a  little 
money  each  year  until  he  at  last  had  enough  to 
buy  the  large  box  of  candles,  pay  the  priest  for 
blessing  them,  and  pay  his  own  and  the  boy's  ex- 
penses of  the  trip.  He  showed  me  the  boy's 
hand  which  was  so  deformed  that  he  had  never 


62  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

been  able  to  make  use  of  it  I  thought  if  a  great 
miracle-working  image  couldn't  do  a  better  job 
of  healing  than  that  it  would  be  just  as  well  to 
let  nature  have  her  course.  The  man's  fidelity 
in  paying  his  vow  was  certainly  worthy  of  com- 
mendation. I  thought  if  he  could  but  be  brought 
to  the  knovrledge  of  the  Truth  in  Christ,  what  a 
noble  Christian  he  might  become;  so  I  sought  to 
point  him  to  the  great  miracle-w^orking,  healing, 
loving  Jesus.  He  bought  a  Xew  Testament  and 
promised  m.e  that  on  his  return  to  his  home,  he 
would  read  and  study  it.  When  the  gleaners  in 
the  mission  field  reach  the  community  in  which 
he  lives,  doubtless  there  will  be  some  good  news 
to  report,  for  the  soil  seemed  ready  for  the  seed. 
Just  before  we  reached  the  station  of  Sitio, 
from  which  starts  the  Western  Minas  Railroad, 
we  sold  a  Bible  to  a  man  who  lived  several  miles 
beyond  the  terminus  of  that  line.  A  few  years 
later,  while  spending  a  night  at  the  tov.-n  of 
Lafayette  further  along  the  Central  Railroad,  I 
met  the  same  man  who  had  become  a  devout  be- 
liever from  the  reading  of  that  Bible.  He  was 
greatly  rejoiced  to  know  that  the  missionaries  of 
the  Southern  Presbyterian  Board  were  beginning 
permanent  work  in  that  section.  They  now  have 
a  prosperous  school  and  church  work  in  the  town 
of  Lavras,  and  from  this  centre  the  work  is  ex- 
tending in  all  directions  through  the  country.  A 
mission  station  has  been  opened  also  at  the  fa- 
mous old  town  of  Sao  Joao  del  Rei,  and  the  in- 


Along  the  Railroad  6;^ 

fluence  of  the  work  is  being  felt  throughout  that 
section.  This  has  been  long  considered  one  of  the 
most  fanatical  and  difficult  places  in  Brazil  for 
doing  evangelistic  work.  The  colporteurs  and 
workers  have  had  some  lively  encounters  with 
the  priests,  and  have  made  narrow  escapes  from 
the  hands  of  enraged  fanatics.  But  darkness 
and  superstition  are  giving  way  with  the  en- 
trance of  light  and  truth.  On  one  occasion  one 
of  our  colporteurs  argued  with  a  priest  for  about 
two  hours  in  the  presence  of  a  large  number  of 
men ;  and  it  has  been  said  that  the  truth  of  Scrip- 
ture set  forth  by  the  colporteur  before  so  many 
attentive  listeners  did  a  great  deal  to  awaken  in- 
terest and  start  investigation. 

Returning  to  the  line  of  the  Central  Railroad 
the  town  of  Barbacena,  230  miles  from  Rio 
de  Janeiro,  located  on  an  elevation  of  about  3,600 
feet  above  the  sea  furnishes  an  excellent  illustra- 
tion of  the  observation  of  Burton  that  "  in  Brazil, 
cities  founded  by  ecclesiastics  occupy  the  best 
situations,  hills  and  rises,  commanding  fine  views : 
the  laity  preferred  bottom  lands,  near  gold  and 
water."  The  extensive  views  are  enchanting  as 
one  looks  from  the  heights  down  over  hills  and 
valleys  in  the  distance ;  and  the  pure,  cool  atmos- 
phere is  most  exhilarating.  We  are  not  sur- 
prised that  this  place  has  become  a  great  resort 
for  convalescents  and  invalids,  and  a  centre  of 
boarding  schools.  Humboldt  said  that  taking 
Barbacena  as  a  centre  and  radiating  for  a  hun- 


64  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

dred  miles  in  every  direction  there  was  to  be 
found  the  most  salubrious  and  most  perfect 
cHmate  in  the  world.  We  have  sold  here  a  num- 
ber of  Bibles  at  different  times  and  the  ]\Ietho- 
dists  are  carrying  forward  regular  work.  Not 
long  since  at  the  request  of  the  missionary  in 
charge  I  sent  to  the  jailer  :t  this  place  a  box 
of  Scriptures,  most  of  which  were  distributed 
among  the  prisoners  and  soldiers,  several  of 
whom  have  been  converted. 

From  Barbacena  we  pursued  our  way  to 
Miguel  Burnier  from  which  point  a  branch  line 
was  under  construction  to  Ouro  Preto,  the  Capi- 
tal of  the  State  of  Minas.  Adventurers  and 
speculators  were  already  following  up  this  new 
enterprise,  and  as  we  entered  the  hotel  that  stood 
near  the  station  we  were  at  once  asked  what  was 
our  business.  The  surprised  and  perplexed  ex- 
pression on  the  faces  of  the  curious  crowd  sur- 
rounding us  when  we  told  them  that  we  were 
distributing  the  Word  of  God  was  most  marked. 
They  seemed  never  to  have  heard  of  such  busi- 
ness as  that,  and  as  they  learned  more  of  the 
nature  of  our  mission  they  expressed  much 
doubt  as  to  the  wisdom  of  undertaking  such 
work  in  that  section.  During  the  evening  and 
earl}'  the  next  morning  we  sold  several  copies  of 
the  Scriptures.  A  number  of  persons  would  not 
buy  because  they  thought  the  reading  of  our 
books  would  be  contrary  to  the  religion  of  a 
famous  image   whose   temple  is  located   at   the 


Along  the  Railroad  65 

town  of  Congonhas,  about  ten  or  twelve  miles 
from  Miguel  Burnier,  and  which  has  a  wonder- 
ful influence  over  the  masses  of  the  people.  In 
the  early  history  of  Brazil  the  ecclesiastics  found 
no  better  way  to  build  a  town  than  by  setting  up 
a  Growing  Stone,  a  Healing  Cross  or  a  Miracle- 
Working  Image.  These  images  are  often  called 
**  Apparecido "  or  "  Apparecida,"  from  their 
"  appearing "  in  some  cave,  or  wild  forest, 
stream,  or  on  the  seacoast.  It  is  supposed  that 
"  The  Lord  of  Matosinhos  "  appeared  near  this 
place  of  small  shrubs,  from  which  event  the 
brotherhood  of  Bom  Jesus  of  Matosinhos  had  its 
origin.  The  main  temple  or  church,  the  seven 
chapels,  oratorios,  wooden  figures  seated 
around  a  table  representing  the  Last  Supper,  the 
image  of  Judas  and  the  great  knife  with  which 
the  pilgrims  give  him  a  dig  as  they  pass  by,  the 
Agony  in  the  Garden,  the  rough  wayside  cross 
of  hardwood  bearing  a  rude  figure,  dedicated  to 
Our  Lord  of  Matosinhos  with  an  inscription 
showing  that  it  began  to  work  miracles  about  the 
year  1700;  the  gigantic  figures  of  the  Prophets, 
the  carved  work  in  wood  and  stone,  the  paintings 
of  various  kinds,  the  instruments  of  the  Passion, 
the  miracle-room  with  the  large  number  of  wax 
figures  and  hundreds  of  memorial  tablets,  rep- 
resenting the  miracles  performed  by  the  image; 
the  side  chapels  of  St.  Francis  de  Assisi,  St. 
Francisco  de  Paula  and  others,  the  two  pulpits, 
the  two  boxes  and  two  open  confessionals,  the 


66  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

representation  of  the  Trinity  and  the  Burial  of 
Christ,  the  altar  tomb,  covered  with  a  board, 
which  when  removed  shows  a  full-sized  effigy 
of  Our  Lord  of  Matosinhos,  with  angels  kneel- 
ing around  and  praying,  which  is  the  grand  ob- 
ject of  the  pilgrimage  and  where  the  pilgrims 
prostrate  themselves  and  kiss  the  hand  of  the 
image  with  great  devotion;  on  another  side  the 
cradle  of  Bethlehem,  above  the  fine  silver  chan- 
deliers : — these  are  some  of  the  many  curious 
things,  in  crude  shape  representing  a  strange 
mixture  of  truth  and  falsehood.  The  surprising 
fact  is  that  not  only  the  poor  and  ignorant  but 
many  of  the  more  enlightened  and  wealthy  Bra- 
zilians still  make  pilgrimages,  perform  vows, 
devote  offerings  and  render  worship  to  this 
image.  It  would  be  difficult  perhaps  to  say  just 
what  proportion  of  the  pilgrims  are  really  de- 
vout and  sincere  in  their  performances,  and  how 
many  go  simply  for  a  frolic  and  pleasure.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  with  many  in  Brazil,  these 
things  have  long  since  become  largely  a  social 
custom,  and  this  class  of  persons  enter  into  the 
ceremonies  with  little  or  no  religious  sentiment, 
but  there  are  many  others  who  are  devout  and 
sincere  in  their  faith  and  performances. 

Shortly  after  our  arrival  at  the  station  of 
Miguel  Burnier,  I  obtained  permission  from  the 
proprietor  of  the  little  hotel  to  preach  at  night  in 
the  dining  room.  Much  curiosity  was  expressed 
by  a  number  of  hearers  that  crowded  into  the 


Along  the  Railroad  67 

little  room  and  stood  around  the  low  windows 
and  outside  the  door,  but  they  listened  with 
much  attention.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  that 
I  conducted  service  in  the  Portuguese  language, 
and  I  was  not  a  little  confused  by  one  man  who 
spoke  out  in  a  very  loud  voice  and  disputed  the 
statement  when  I  referred  to  Christ's  having 
been  tempted  by  the  devil.  This  was  the  first 
time  so  far  as  we  could  learn  that  any  Protestant 
had  ever  attempted  to  preach  in  the  place. 

The  next  morning  the  colporteur  and  I  ob- 
tained permission  to  travel  on  the  construction 
train,  and  we  started  over  the  mountains  to  make 
our  way  to  Ouro  Preto,  thirty  miles  distant. 
The  train  took  us  twenty-four  miles  and  we  had 
to  make  the  remainder  of  the  distance  on  foot, 
through  mud  and  rain  carrying  on  our  backs 
our  baggage,  with  our  Bibles  and  Testaments. 
The  books,  being  of  considerable  size,  were  about 
as  much  as  two  men  could  carry  under  the  cir- 
cumstances over  such  a  road  and  we  were  forced 
to  call  a  boy  to  our  assistance.  We  managed 
to  keep  the  books  dry  for  the  most  part,  but 
reached  the  hotel  in  the  city  of  Ouro  Preto 
muddy,  wet,  and  tired,  a  sight  to  behold.  We 
were  not  surprised  that  our  appearance  attracted 
much  attention  as  we  walked  through  the  streets 
to  find  a  hotel.  The  ride  over  the  mountains 
on  the  flat  car  furnished  a  good  opportunity  for 
appreciating  the  magnificent  views  to  be  seen  in 
almost  every  direction.     From  the  heights  over 


68  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

which  we  passed,  the  valleys  below,  the  exten- 
sive plains,  hills  and  distant  mountain  ranges, 
with  the  clouds  hanging  like  lace  curtains  from 
the  windows  of  heaven  and  touching  their  sum- 
mits, combined  in  scenes  too  vast  and  grand  for 
painter's  brush  or  poet's  pen ;  they  must  be  seen 
in  their  reaUty  to  be  fully  appreciated.  The  only 
inconvenience  we  suffered  on  the  occasion  was 
from  the  jolting  of  the  rough  car  over  the  newly 
constructed  road  as  we  sat  on  coils  of  lead  piping 
instead  of  cushioned  seats  and  fought  the  sparks 
and  cinders  that  showered  upon  us  from  our 
puffing  engine.  Umbrellas  were  of  advantage 
only  for  a  while  until  they  were  so  badly  burned 
as  to  no  longer  protect  us  from  the  falling  coals ; 
it  seemed  for  a  time  to  be  literally  raining  fire. 
As  the  road  descends  amongst  the  hills  of  Ouro 
Preto  the  great  rocks  jutting  out  and  dipping  in 
all  directions  give  signs  of  tremendous  volcanic 
action.  We  reached  the  city  late  in  the  after- 
noon, and  wdth  great  difficulty  found  lodging  in 
a  small  hotel,  as  the  town  was  crowded  in  honour 
of  two  important  events:  the  freeing  of  about 
200  slaves  with  some  Emancipation  Fund  that 
had  been  raised  throughout  the  Province;  the 
jubilee  of  a  Catholic  priest  of  the  city. 

We  remained  in  the  city  for  two  days  talking 
with  the  people  on  the  streets,  in  the  shops  and 
stores,  and  in  a  short  time  sold  the  fifty-two 
Bibles  and  Testaments  which  we  had  been  able  to 
carry  on  our  backs  from  the  end  of  the  railroad. 


Along  the  Railroad  69 

A  few  days  after  we  left  I  had  a  letter  from 
a  man,  who  become  much  interested  in  the  Gos- 
pel, informing-  me  that  the  priests  had  instigated 
the  city  authorities  to  arrest  and  imprison  us 
for  selling  false  and  dangerous  books;  the  offi- 
cer duly  authorized  to  make  the  arrest  arrived  at 
the  hotel  about  an  hour  after  our  departure.  So 
far  as  we  could  learn  this  was  the  first  attempt 
made  in  the  city  to  circulate  among  the  people 
the  written  Word  of  God.  A  few  of  the  copies 
sold  were  to  men  who  lived  at  long  distances,  in 
the  country  and  who  had  come  in  to  attend  the 
festivities.  I  was  much  interested  in  one  very 
old  man  who  stood  at  the  door  and  listened  at- 
tentively to  what  I  was  saying  to  a  number  who 
were  gathered  around  me  in  a  little  store;  he 
said  if  he  could  read  he  would  certainly  buy  one 
of  the  books.  I  asked  him  if  he  had  a  family 
and  if  any  of  them  could  read.  He  replied 
that  some  of  his  children  could  read,  and  so  at 
this  suggestion  he  bought  a  Bible;  a  few  hours 
later  I  saw  him  leaving  the  town  with  his  Bible 
under  his  arm,  seemingly  in  haste  to  get  home 
where  he  could  hear  more  of  its  wonderful  and 
new  truths.  The  scene  in  that  humble  country 
home  among  the  distant  hills  that  night  when 
for  the  first  time  the  members  of  that  household 
were  reading  and  hearing  the  wonderful 
words  of  life,  must  have  been  one  which  angels 
would  delight  to  witness.  One  of  the  New  Tes- 
taments was  sold  to  a  carpenter  who  had  a  small 


70  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

shop  in  a  dirty  little  street  at  one  side  of  the 
town.  The  book  was  laid  away,  I  believe  in  a 
tool  box,  and  soon  became  covered  with  dust 
and  trash.  Later,  when  things  were  being  over- 
hauled about  the  place,  this  book  was  discovered 
and  was  about  to  be  thrown  away  as  a  useless 
thing,  when  a  young  man,  who  had  been  work- 
ing in  the  shop  for  some  months,  asked  that  it 
be  given  to  him.  He  began  reading  it  diligently, 
was  converted,  called  of  God  to  the  ministry, 
and  is  now  an  active  and  efficient  preacher  of  the 
Gospel.  If  no  other  results  had  come  of  the 
efforts  of  that  occasion,  the  conversion  of  this 
young  cabinet  workman  was  worth  far  more 
than  all  it  cost  in  money,  time  labour  and  dis- 
comfort to  reach  the  city  and  dispose  of  the 
copies  of  the  Scriptures  which  we  had  been  able 
to  carry  on  our  backs  through  the  mud  and  rain. 
Since  this  beginning  of  Gospel  work,  the  city  of 
Ouro  Preto  has  been  the  scene  of  considerable 
activity  in  preaching  and  scattering  the  truth; 
a  number  of  people  have  been  led  to  Christ  and 
the  influence  of  the  work  has  extended  in  all  the 
region  round  about.  As  the  city  was  until  re- 
cently the  capital  of  the  State  of  Minas  Geraes, 
it  had  more  or  less  importance  as  a  centre  for 
evangelistic  and  Bible  work.  Since  the  railroad 
reached  this  point,  we  have  shipped  considerable 
quantities  of  Scriptures  there  to  be  picked  up  by 
the  pack  mules  and  carried  sometimes  several 
hundred  miles  through  the  interior. 


Along  the  Railroad  71 

The  mining  interests,  from  which  the  Pro- 
vince, Minas  Geraes  (General  Mines)  takes  its 
name,  gave  rise  to  the  founding  of  the  city  of 
Ouro  Preto  (Black  Gold).  Its  location  among 
the  hills  is  one  of  singular  interest,  a  number 
of  peaks  towering  above  the  place,  the  highest 
being  nearly  5,900  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea,  or  about  2,500  feet  above  the  city.  "  Now 
it  has  the  sun  of  Italy,  then  the  fogs  of  Eng- 
land." The  roughly  paved  streets  ascending  and 
descending  the  hills  are  narrow,  crooked  and 
irregular;  carts  and  carriages  are  of  little  or 
no  use,  the  freight  being  carried  largely  on 
packmules.  I  saw  these  little  animals  winding 
up  and  down  the  streets,  some  loaded  with  great 
building  timbers  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  long, 
others  with  stones,  lime,  etc.;  water  was  de- 
livered from  two  barrels  which  balanced  each 
other  on  the  pack-saddle.  A  little  mule  came  up 
in  front  of  our  hotel  with  two  flour  barrels 
swung  across  his  back;  a  small  door  or  window 
had  been  cut  in  the  end  of  each  barrel  from 
which  a  boy  supplied  us  with  bread.  Since  the 
completion  of  the  railroad  to  this  point,  enter- 
prise has  changed  and  improved  some  of  the 
streets  and  now  carts  are  more  used. 

It  was  in  this  city  in  the  year  1788  that  a 
plot,  led  by  Joaquim  Jose  da  Silva  Xavier,  a 
dentist,  was  formed  for  establishing  a  Republic 
in  the  Province  of  Minas  and  surrounding  cap- 
taincies.    The  spirit  of  liberty  and  independence 


72  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

so  prominent  at  that  time  in  the  United  States 
and  France  was  wafted  to  this  provincial  capital 
amongst  the  hills  of  the  interior  of  Brazil,  a 
young  Brazilian  who  met  Jefferson  in  France 
being  one  of  the  principal  channels  of  communi- 
cation. The  leaders  of  this  patriotic  movement 
numbered  twenty-five  or  thirty,  and  there  were 
no  less  than  a  thousand  suspected  as  being  in 
sympathy  with  the  conspiracy.  One  of  the  con- 
spirators, who  owed  the  Treasury  a  considerable 
sum,  revealed  to  the  Governor  the  plan  in  hope 
of  obtaining  a  remission  of  his  debt  with  a  pen- 
sion and  decorations.  Public  indignation  after- 
wards drove  him  to  the  Amazon  valley  where  he 
was  left  to  starve.  These  leaders  were  captured 
and  sentenced,  some  to  be  hanged,  decapitated 
and  quartered,  with  exposure  of  heads ;  others  to 
be  hanged  on  a  gallows  taller  than  usual;  their 
property  was  confiscated  and  their  children  and 
grandchildren  declared  infamous ;  others  were 
exiled  for  life,  a  few  were  temporarily  banished 
and  two  were  flogged.  The  Province  of  Minas 
may  well  be  proud  of  this  popular  movement  as 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  led  finally  to  the 
Independence  of  Brazil  on  the  7th  of  September, 
1822,  and  found  its  fullest  realization  in  the 
establishment  of  the  Republic  for  the  whole  of 
Brazil  on  the  15th  of  November,  1889,  just  a  cen- 
tury from  its  beginning.  The  Government  has 
decreed  the  21st  of  April  a  public  holiday  in 
honour  of  "  Tiradentes,"  the  leader  in  that  first 


Along  the  Railroad  73 

movement     for     liberty     and     independence     in 
Brazil. 

In  April,  1891,  two  missionaries  from  Juiz  de 
Fora  station  and  an  evangelist  accompanied  me  on 
a  trip  to  this  quaint  old  historic  city  among  the 
hills  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  first  attempt 
to  publicly  preach  the  Gospel  there.  The  mayor 
being  a  liberal-minded  man  and  desirous  that 
the  Republic,  not  yet  two  years  old,  should  make 
a  good  impression,  readily  granted  us  the  use 
of  the  town  hall.  The  evangelist,  an  English- 
man, eloquent  in  the  use  of  the  Portuguese  lan- 
guage, was  greeted  on  two  successive  occasions 
by  large  audiences  of  men  filling  to  overflowing 
the  town  hall.  On  the  first  occasion  there  was 
some  disturbance  outside  led  by  two  priests;  on 
the  second  occasion  a  priest  in  the  audience 
arose  and  contested  some  of  the  preacher's  state- 
ments. The  preacher  replied,  proving  his  point 
with  Scripture,  and  was  sustained  by  a  majority 
of  the  auditors. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1892,  we  made 
an  effort  for  the  second  time  to  extend  our  Bible 
work  along  the  railroad  from  Miguel  Burnier 
and  throughout  the  upper  valley  of  the  Rio  das 
Velhas  (River  of  the  Old  Women).  A  local 
tradition  says  the  river  took  its  name  from  three 
old  Indian  squaws  found  squatting  upon  its 
banks  by  the  first  explorer  through  that  region, 
who  struck  the  stream  in  1701  at  what  is  now 
the  town  of  Sahara.     My  wife  accompanied  me 


74  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

on  this  trip,  and  at  Barbacena  we  met  a  colpor- 
teur whom  I  had  sent  to  visit  several  Italian 
colonies  in  that  section.  We  had  good  sales  of 
the  Scriptures  in  the  city  and  I  preached  once 
to  a  large  audience  of  attentive  hearers.  We 
had  with  us  a  small  organ,  made  especially  for 
such  evangelistic  work,  which  my  wife  played 
and  the  music  attracted  many  who  remained  to 
hear  the  word.  At  the  little  hotel  one  morning 
she  was  playing  hymns,  and  all  the  people  about 
the  hotel  and  some  from  the  streets  came  in  to 
hear.  I  took  occasion  now  and  then  to  read  a 
passage  from  the  Scriptures  and  talk  to  them. 
One  gentleman,  who  had  come  a  long  distance  to 
visit  his  son  who  was  in  school,  said  he  had  de- 
sired for  some  time  to  hear  the  Gospel.  He 
brought  his  son  and  four  others  from  the  school 
to  hear  somethiing  of  the  Word.  He  gave  his 
son  a  Testament  and  told  the  others  to  buy. 
Those  boys  returned  to  the  school  carrying  two 
Bibles  and  a  Testament. 

From  Barbacena  we  went  to  Sahara,  where 
we  made  good  sales  of  Scriptures  and  from 
which  we  went  out  to  visit  several  neighbouring 
towns,  villages  and  settlements.  One  trip  which 
was  especially  interesting  was  to  Santa  Luzia,  a 
town  about  sixteen  miles  away.  The  journey 
had  to  be  made  on  mule-back.  Early  one  morn- 
ing the  native  preacher,  our  colporteur,  wife  and 
I,  all  well  mounted  on  our  little  mules,  and  with 
the  little  organ,  books,  etc.,  on  the  pack-mules, 


Along  the  Railroad  75 

started  on  the  trip.  The  road  was  very  rough, 
and  lay  through  a  very  hilly,  mountainous  re- 
gion. We  first  ascended  a  very  steep,  rocky 
hill ;  from  the  heights  we  had  charming  views  of 
the  winding  valleys,  dotted  now  and  then  with 
distant  villages.  We  soon  descended  to  climb 
another  rugged  hill,  and  so  on  for  the  entire  dis- 
tance. About  midway  we  stopped  beside  a  clear 
stream  to  eat  our  lunch  and  rest  our  animals. 
When  we  reached  the  town  we  found  very  poor 
accommodations  at  the  little  hotel,  but  the  pro- 
prietor was  very  attentive  and  kind.  Much  ex- 
citement was  awakened  by  our  coming.  Many 
seemed  really  afraid  of  us,  and  would  close  their 
doors  and  windows  as  we  passed  along  the 
streets.  We  secured  the  use  of  a  small  room  at 
the  hotel  for  services.  The  music  and  singing 
attracted  quite  a  crowd,  and  gave  me  an  oppor- 
tunity of  preaching  to  them  Jesus.  We  called  at 
the  stores  and  shops  and  sold  a  number  of  copies 
of  the  Scriptures.  We  had  opportunity  of  visit- 
ing only  two  or  three  famiUes.  Some  received 
us  kindly,  and  showed  much  interest  in  learning 
the  truth.  The  priest  was  much  opposed  to  us. 
We  saw  torn  up  in  the  streets  a  Gospel  and  a 
New  Testament  the  result  of  his  opposition.  He 
told  the  people  our  books  were  false  and  full  of 
lies.  Some  threw  stones,  and  cried :  "  Away 
with  these  Protestants."  We  left  with  them 
words  of  instruction  such  as  we  were  able  to 
give,   our  prayers,  the  memory  of  the  music; 


76  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

and,  best  of  all,  many  co])ies  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. 

Another  trip  was  to  Bello  Ilorizonte,  a  small 
town  of  a  few  hundred  inhabitants.  We  rode 
up  to  the  only  establishment  in  the  way  of  a 
hotel  there  was  in  the  small  town.  Very  soon 
we  were  informed  that  we  could  not  be  admitted, 
as  we  were  Protestants.  No  kind  of  persuasion 
could  chang-e  the  verdict,  so  we  were  left  with- 
out shelter  or  a  place  to  j:(et  a  dinner.  The 
native  preacher  knew  the  son  of  an  Enj:,dishman 
who  had  a  small  store  in  the  town.  Thouj:^h  a 
Romanist  he  showed  himself  friendly,  invited 
us  to  rest  in  his  house,  and  at  the  proper  hour 
had  for  us  a  good  dinner."  Much  excitement 
was  awakened  throughout  the  town  by  our  pres- 
ence. The  priest  had  told  them  that  we  must 
not  be  allowed  to  stop  in  the  place.  After  a 
])rayer  to  God  to  open  the  way  for  vsuccess,  to 
give  his  Word  entrance,  we  started  through  the 
streets  with  our  hands  full  of  books.  Very  soon 
we  found  some  who  were  inclined  to  buy;  we 
went  on  from  house  to  house,  talking  and  offer- 
ing the  Scriptures.  Much  to  our  surprise,  in  a 
few  hours  our  supply  was  nearly  exhausted. 
When  we  returned  to  the  house  of  our  host  sev- 
eral gentlemen  came  to  talk  with  us.  We  talked 
with  them  for  quite  awhile  and  sung  a  hymn  or 
two.  Music  never  fails  to  please  the  Brazilian 
car.  Just  a  little  before  sunset  we  mounted  our 
mules  to  return  to  Sahara.     Our  friend  ofifered 


Along  the  Railroad  77 

to  do  his  best  to  lodge  us  for  the  night,  but  we 
saw  he  could  not  care  for  us  without  great  dis- 
comfort to  his  family,  and  as  we  could  not  secure 
a  place  for  preaching,  and  needed  a  fresh  supply 
of  books,  we  decided  to  return. 

Since  our  first  visit  to  this  fanatical  little  vil- 
lage, it  has,  by  order  of  the  Government  been 
chosen  as  the  site  of  the  new  Capital  of  the 
State.  Skillful  engineers  and  workmen  in  a 
very  short  time  have  converted  it  into  a  well 
laid  out  city  of  wide  streets  and  broad  avenues, 
with  a  beautiful  park  adorned  with  a  lake  filled 
from  a  fountain  whose  clear  waters  shoot  up 
about  twenty  feet.  Besides  stores,  shops,  hotels, 
residences  and  many  other  new  and  modern 
buildings,  a  magnificent  palace  for  the  Governor 
of  the  State  and  commodious  buildings  for  the 
different  State  Departments  have  been  erected, 
and  a  very  extensive  Legislative  Department 
building  is  now  in  course  of  construction.  The 
city  is  brilliantly  illuminated  with  electricity,  and 
has  railroad  connection  with  the  central  line. 
The  present  population  is  estimated  to  be  about 
14,000.  The  location  is  well  chosen  and  the  cli- 
mate most  excellent  for  the  development  of  a 
healthy  and  prosperous  city. 


IV 
Among  the  Colonists 

SUBURBS    OF   RIO    DE   JANEIRO — NOVA    FRIBURGO— 
FREEDOM  OF  WORSHIP IMPARTIAL  OFFICIALS. 

THE  territory  embraced  in  our  second 
journey  lies  north  of  the  city  of  Rio  de 
Janeiro  and  inckides  that  section  of  the 
Provinces  of  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  Minas  Geraes 
traversed  by  the  Leopoldina  Railway,  which 
now  has  an  extension  of  1,280  miles,  in  operation. 
The  contract  for  the  Maua  Railway,  the  first 
constructed  in  Brazil,  was  given  April  27,  1852, 
and  the  first  section  from  Maua  to  Raiz  de  Serra, 
a  distance  of  about  ten  miles,  was  opened  to  traf- 
fic in  December,  1854.  The  beauty  and  interest 
of  the  ride  from  the  city  of  Rio  de  Janeiro 
across  the  water,  a  distance  of  fourteen  miles 
to  Maua  may  be  readily  imagined  from  the  de- 
scription already  given  of  this  wonderful  Bay. 
The  change  from  the  heat  and  the  dust  of  the 
dirty  narrow,  crowded  streets  of  the  city  as 
the  Petropolis  "  barca "  or  steamer  pulls  out 
from  the  wharf  and  glides  smoothly  over  the 
calm  waters,  passes  the  scores  of  ships  at  an- 
chor, and  on  into  the  stiff  sea-breeze  blowing 
78 


Among  the  Colonists  79 

fresh  from  the  ocean,  is  most  refreshing  and 
exhilarating.  As  we  go  sailing  among  the 
islands,  leaving  behind  the  great  city  surrounded 
by  mountains,  "  distance  lends  enchantment  to 
the  view."  The  railroad  runs  along  a  flat  section 
of  sandy  soil,  among  low  hills,  then  across  a 
marshy  land  of  miasma  and  mosquitoes  to  the 
foot  of  the  Serra ;  here  the  train  is  broken  up  into 
small  sections,  each  with  a  separate  engine  to 
push  it  up  the  mountain  by  means  of  a  cog- 
wheel working  on  the  central  rail.  The  road 
winds  around  the  hillsides,  climbs  up  the  heights, 
crosses  bridges  over  dashing  cataracts  ard  gur- 
gling streams  from  one  side  of  the  gorge  to 
another,  and  finally  reaches  its  highest  point 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  having  ascended  2,595 
feet  in  a  distance  of  3  3-5  miles.  There  is  a  slight 
descent  from  this  point  to  the  city  of  Petropolis 
amongst  the  hills.  The  ascent  through  the  moun- 
tain gorge,  the  wild  forest  and  huge  cliffs,  ra- 
vines, dashing  streams,  spreading  lowlands  trav- 
ersed by  the  railroad,  the  extensive  bay,  dotted 
with  scores  of  islands,  the  city  on  the  other  side 
of  the  water,  encircled  by  the  Tijuca  and  Cor- 
covado  range  of  hills  and  mountains,  present  a 
noble  panorama  perhaps  unequalled  by  any  in  the 
world. 

The  city  of  Petropolis,  "  the  summer  paradise  '* 
for  the  inhabitants  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  dates  from 
about  1844.  Formerly  it  was  the  summer  home 
of  the  Emperor  Don  Pedro  11. ;  his  palace,  "  a 


8o  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

far  gayer  and  more  cheerful  looking  edifice " 
than  the  one  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  stands  in  a  cen- 
tral position  surrounded  by  extensive  grounds. 
The  Foreign  Diplomatic  corps  still  reside  here 
for  the  most  part  throughout  the  entire  year.  It 
is  a  city  without  a  rival  in  Brazil.  Through 
the  midst  of  the  town  run  the  pure  waters  of  the 
Piabauba  river  and  its  small  tribtitaries ;  the  high 
banks,  "  encased  in  lively  green  grass,  and 
crossed  by  black  and  scarlet  bridges,  shaded  by 
feathery  Brazilian  cedars "  and  other  trees. 
There  are  many  magnificent  residences  with 
beautifully  kept  grounds,  a  few  well  furnished 
stores :  and  since  the  removal  of  the  State  Capital 
to  this  place  a  number  of  public  buildings  have 
been  erected  and  there  are  churches,  school 
buildings,  etc.  The  city  is  well  lighted  with  elec- 
tricity, and  there  are  several  manufacturing  es- 
tablishments which  make  use  of  the  power  from 
the  numerous  waterfalls.  These  skillful  im- 
provements, agricultural  and  industrial,  are  due 
almost  entirely  to  the  enterprise  and  energy  of 
the  German  and  Swiss  colonists.  The  colony 
was  founded  by  the  provincial  government  in 
1846,  and  in  a  few  years  numbered  8,200.  Some 
of  the  early  settlers  grew  wealthy  and  moving 
farther  out,  became  coffee  planters  on  an  exten- 
sive scale.  The  general  aspect  of  the  whole  re- 
gion round  about  bears  the  impress  of  these  col- 
onists ;  and  Petropolis  itself  is  more  European  in 
appearance  than  Brazilian.     The  flower  gardens 


Among  the  Colonists  8i 

are  gorgeous,  and  there  are  numerous  walks  and 
drives  among  the  hills  along  the  winding  valleys, 
*'  here  with  the  virgin  forest  seen  in  profile  from 
a  partial  clearing,  there  deep  with  gathered 
shade,  twined  and  corded,  throttled  and  fes- 
tooned with  all  its  llianas,  tufted  with  wonderful 
epidendra  and  air-plants,  bearded  with  gigantic 
mosses  of  grotesque  shape,  and  rich  in  every 
vegetable  form  from  the  orchid  to  the  carda- 
mon,  from  the  simple  bamboo  and  palm  to  the 
complicated  mimosa,  from  the  delicate  little 
leaves  of  the  myrtle  to  the  monstrous  aroids  and 
the  quaint,  stiff  candelabra  tree." 

Our  first  efforts  to  circulate  the  Scriptures  in 
this  section  met  with  little  encouragement.  The 
great  majority  of  persons  residing  there  were  of 
the  wealthier  and  higher  classes,  who  generally 
seemed  so  fully  satisfied  with  the  things  of  this 
world  that  they  cared  little  to  hear  of  the  in- 
visible and  eternal.  A  few  Protestant  Germans 
and  others  bought  Bibles.  But  things  have  won- 
derfully changed  about  Petropolis  during  these 
twelve  years.  The  city  has  been  made  the  Capital 
of  the  State,  and  with  this  removal  the  population 
has  considerably  increased ;  the  Government  offi- 
cials and  employees  together  with  others  have 
become  residents,  and  as  might  be  expected,  citi- 
zens from  all  parts  of  the  State  come  to  the 
Capital  on  business.  As  a  result  it  has  become  a 
much  more  important  centre  for  Bible  distribu- 
tion than  formerly.     Our  colporteurs  have  from 


82  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

time  to  time  made  a  thorough  canvass  of  the 
city,  which  has  a  population  of  about  15,000,  and 
have  extended  the  work  far  out  into  the  country 
in  every  direction.     Formerly  the  Presbyterian 
missionaries  carried  on  work  with  more  or  less 
regularity  in  the  city,  but  more  recently,  when 
the  Methodists  decided  to  establish  there  a  board- 
ing  school   for   girls,  the  work  was   all  turned 
over  to  them.    In  this  step  the  Presbyterian  breth- 
ren gave  a  beautiful  example  of  that  spirit  that 
should  characterize  missionary  operations  in  all 
fields.    The  Methodists  have  secured  both  school 
and  church  property  in  the  city  and  the  work  has 
developed    encouragingly.      The    missionary    in 
charge  of  the  church  has  followed  up  the  work 
of  the  colporteurs  along  several  lines  and  the  in- 
fluence is  spreading  in  all  the  region  round  about. 
One  of  our  colporteurs  spent  several  weeks  in 
making  a  thorough  canvass  of  the  community 
just  after  the  Methodist  Conference  had  held  its 
annual  session  in  the  city  in  the  year  1899.    The 
growing  work  and  the  presence  of  this  body  of 
workers  seemed  to  have  made  quite  an  impres- 
sion in  the  place  even  upon  the  minds  of  some  of 
the  more  worldly  and  fashionable  people.      The 
colporteur  was  more  successful  than  any  one  had 
been  on  former  occasions,  and  sold  many  copies 
of  the  Scriptures  to  all  classes,  even  in  the  homes 
of  the  wealthy. 

From  Petropolis  the  work  has  extended  across 
the  country  to  the  small  town  of  Theresopolis, 


Among  the  Colonists  83 

located  among  the  mountains,  which  has  a  climate 
thought  by  many  to  be  superior  to  that  of  Petrop- 
olis.  The  seed  of  the  Gospel  has  been  sown 
and  the  fruits  are  being  gathered  already  before 
the  completion  of  the  railroad  constructed  from 
Rio  Bay  to  that  desirable  section  of  country. 

We  may  now  return  to  the  city  of  Rio  and 
take  another  ride  of  four  miles  across  the  Bay, 
landing  at  Santa  Anna,  where  the  Leopoldina 
railroad  system  proper  starts.  The  sandy  and 
marshy  lowlands  over  which  the  road  runs  to 
Cachoeira  at  the  foot  of  the  Serra,  and  the  sec- 
tion traversed  by  the  branch  to  Macahe  and 
Campos,  resemble  very  closely  the  country  and 
scenes  along  the  Central  and  Petropolis  roads. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  period  of  which  we 
write  one  of  our  most  faithful  colporteurs,  Andre 
Cayret,  spent  much  of  his  time  in  Campos  and 
the  region  round  about,  and  sold  large  numbers 
of  Scriptures  in  that  city,  and  the  neighbouring 
towns,  villages  and  country  settlements.  He 
was  a  Frenchman  by  birth,  trained  in  the  Catho- 
lic religion  and  forbidden  by  priest  and  parents 
to  read  the  Bible.  In  his  boyhood,  just  before 
leaving  France,  he  saw  an  open  Bible  in  a  show 
window  from  which  he  read  some  verses.  He 
was  so  much  impressed  that  he  afterwards  ob- 
tained and  read  a  New  Testament  but  it  was  only 
after  he  came  to  Brazil  that  he  was  led  into  the 
fuller  light  and  could  claim  Christ  as  his  personal 
Saviour.     He  was  one  of  the  most  devout  and 


84  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

earnest  workers  I  have  ever  known.  He  began 
work  for  the  American  Bible  Society  about  1879, 
and  was  the  most  successful  salesman  of  the  year. 
Some  of  the  points  he  visited  had  not  been  here- 
tofore explored.  He  met  with  all  kinds  of  treat- 
ment and  with  very  fair  success  in  the  towns  in 
which  he  laboured;  travelled  to  a  considerable 
extent  on  the  railways  in  the  Province  of  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  thus  coming  in  contact  with  a  large  num- 
ber of  people,  and  putting  the  Gospel  into  the 
hands  of  many  who  take  it  to  places  where 
neither  missionaries  nor  colporteurs  have  yet 
been.  He  received  some  very  ugly  treatment  and 
was  threatened  with  imprisonment  and  all  sorts 
of  punishment.  On  one  occasion  he  came  into 
the  depository  and  filled  a  coffee  sack,  in  which 
he  was  fond  of  carrying  his  books,  with  Scrip- 
tures to  go  out  into  this  section  of  country  along 
the  Leopoldina  railway  from  Niteheroy.  Before 
he  left  we  went  into  a  side  room  and  knelt  before 
God  in  prayer.  Not  many  days  after  he  returned 
with  his  sack  about  as  full  as  when  he  left.  I 
said :  "  Well,  Sr.  Andre,  not  much  success  this 
time  ?  "  *'  Oh,  yes,"  he  replied,  "  I  did  a  good 
work,  thank  God."  '*  But  your  sack  seems  still 
to  be  full."  *'  Yes,  but  this  time  it  is  full  of  im- 
ages, saints  and  idols.  I  carried  the  Word  of 
God  into  the  homes  of  the  people,  they  read, 
were  enlightened,  and  gave  up  all  these  idols." 
He  had  a  large  quantity  of  them,  some  of  them 
of    considerable    value,    being    made    of    silver. 


Among  the  Colonists  S^ 

While  on  a  trip  in  one  of  the  Southern  Provinces 
in  1892  he  was  taken  sick,  and,  worn  with  age, 
exposure  and  toil,  he  lingered  only  a  few  days 
and  then  peacefully  passed  away  to  his  reward. 
He  died  far  away  from  home,  leaving  a  faithful, 
good  wife,  an  adopted  daughter  and  a  large  num- 
ber of  friends  to  mourn  his  departure ;  but  he 
was  not  entirely  among  strangers:  The  Presby- 
terian missionaries  and  friends  in  the  city  of 
Curitiba  kindly  administered  to  him  during  his 
illness,  and  then  laid  the  body  of  God's  servant 
to  rest,  awaiting  the  resurrection.  He  was  God's 
instrument  for  placing  in  the  hands  of  thousands 
copies  of  his  written  Word,  and  he  pointed  many 
to  the  "  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin 
of  the  world." 

The  city  of  Campos,  located  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Parahyba  river,  has  a  population  at  present 
of  about  20,000  inhabitants.  The  active  work  of 
the  Presbyterian  mission  in  this  city  runs  through 
a  period  of  a  number  of  years.  More  recently  the 
Baptists  have  established  themselves  here  and 
from  this  central  point  they  have  followed  up  the 
work  of  the  colporteurs,  extending  their  efforts  in 
many  directions  along  the  river,  railways,  and 
country  highways.  The  workers  here  have  coop- 
erated actively  with  us  also  in  circulating  the 
Scriptures. 

We  may  now  continue  along  the  main  line  of 
the  Leopoldina  railway  from  Cachoeira  at  the 
foot  of  the  Serra  do  Mar  to  Nova  Friburgo,  a 


86  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

distance  of  about  sixty  miles  from  the  city  of 
Rio  and  at  an  elevation  of  2,722  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.  The  scenery  along  this 
ascent  is  somewhat  of  a  repetition  of  that  de- 
scribed on  the  ascent  to  Petropolis,  though 
the  view  of  the  Bay  and  its  surroundings  is 
a  more  distant  one.  The  highest  elevation 
reached  on  the  way  is  about  3,475  feet  above 
the  sea-level  in  the  Serra  do  Mar.  Here  we 
find  was  located  the  third  foreign  colony,  prop- 
erly speaking,  in  this  country  after  the  arrival 
of  the  Prince  Regent  of  Portugal  at  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  March  7,  1808,  and  perhaps  the  first 
after  the  decree  of  December  18 15,  elevating 
Brazil  to  the  dignity  of  a  kingdom.  It  was 
authorized  May  6,  1818,  by  decree  of  Dom  Joao 
VI.,  who  had  been  crowned  February  5,  of  that 
year.  The  colonists  were  Swiss  and  Germans, 
and  in  a  few  years  numbered  about  3,000,  the 
first  having  arrived  in  the  year  1820.  The  decree 
explicitly  promised  to  each  of  the  first  hundred 
families,  lands,  horses,  cattle,  seed  and  provisions, 
or  its  equivalent  in  money,  for  the  first  two  years, 
and  in  addition  a  stipulated  sum  for  daily  wages 
during  the  same  period.  A  Brazilian  writer  in 
1875  states  that  when  the  first  colonists  arrived 
they  found  nothing  prepared  for  them  and  were 
compelled  to  live  for  a  time  crowded  together 
imder  temporary  sheds  where  they  suffered  great 
deprivations.  During  my  first  visit  to  this  sec- 
tion in  the  month  of  March  1888,  as  I  was  on 


Among  the  Colonists  87 

my  way  to  attend  Sunday  morning  service  at  the 
Protestant  church  in  the  village  of  Sao  Jose,  I 
overtook  a  feeble  old  man  who,  supported  by  his 
cane,  was  making  his  way  slowly  to  the  house  of 
God.  In  conversation  I  learned  that  he  was,  so 
far  as  any  one  in  the  community  knew,  the  only 
surviving  member  of  the  first  colonists.  In  con- 
sequence of  neglect  by  the  Government,  large 
numbers  of  them  abandoned  the  colony  and 
sought  employment  and  homes  in  the  agricul- 
tural centres  of  the  Provinces  of  Rio  de  Janeiro 
and  Minas  Geraes,  while  others  obtained  a  living 
by  returning  to  Rio  and  enlisting  in  the  regular 
army.  However,  in  the  year  1832  and  later, 
others  came  from  Europe  and  settled  round  about 
Nova  Friburgo,  and  to  these  colonists  is  due  in  a 
large  measure  the  agricultural  developments  and 
improvements  of  that  section.  The  city  of  Nova 
Friburgo,  with  a  population  of  only  a  few  thou- 
sand inhabitants  is  located  in  a  narrow  valley  be- 
tween high  hills  at  an  elevation  of  2,700  feet 
above  the  sea  level ;  and  since  the  railway  has 
facilitated  access  from  Rio  de  Janeiro,  it  has  be- 
come quite  a  popular  resort  for  the  summer.  The 
German  Lutheran  church  has  sustained  a  regu- 
lar pastor  in  this  place  since  the  early  beginning 
of  the  colony;  and  this  pastor,  following  a  large 
number  of  the  colonists  who  moved  further  down 
the  valley  to  find  a  more  fertile  soil  and  larger 
tracts  of  tillable  land,  established  a  second  church 
which  has  been  kept  up  for  many  years.     In  the 


88  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

course  of  time  the  younger  generations  began  to 
complain  that  they  did  not  understand  the  Ger- 
man language  sufficiently  to  appreciate  the  serv- 
ices, and  so  the  pastor  decided  to  change,  and 
now  for  some  fifteen  years  or  more  he  has  been 
preaching  almost  entirely  in  the  Portuguese  lan- 
guage. While  our  efforts  to  circulate  the  Scrip- 
tures were  confined  to  the  Protestant  element  we 
met  with  no  special  difficulties,  but  just  as  soon 
as  it  was  known  to  the  priests  and  to  the  more 
fanatical  devotees  of  the  Roman  Church  that  we 
were  offering  the  Scriptures  to  the  Brazilians, 
then  opposition  began  to  manifest  itself.  My  com- 
panions in  the  work  on  the  first  journey  through 
this  section  were  a  Presbyterian  missionary  and 
the  colporteur  already  referred  to.  We  sold  con- 
siderable numbers  of  Scriptures  along  the  rail- 
way, in  the  towns  of  Nova  Friburgo,  Cantagallo 
and  other  smaller  places.  In  the  village  of  Sao 
Jose  where  is  located  the  second  German  church 
above  referred  to,  we  visited  the  Catholic  priest, 
who  received  and  entertained  us  very  kindly.  He 
seemed  to  have  accumulated  quite  a  sufficiency  of 
this  world's  goods  and  was  living  in  ease;  he 
showed  no  opposition  to  our  work  and  manifested 
little  concern  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the 
people.  In  the  town  of  Cantegallo  the  city  au- 
thorities gave  us  permission  to  sell  books  with- 
out a  license,  and  the  missionary  secured  the  use 
of  the  theatre  for  preaching:  a  lars^e  number  of 
persons  came  to  hear.    One  small  boy,  into  whose 


Among  the  Colonists  89 

hands  one  of  the  invitations,  marked  "  entrance 
free  "  had  fallen,  said  to  me,  "  Who  pays  for  the 
play?  I  see  the  entrance  is  free."  He  had  never 
before  heard  of  a  free  performance  in  a  theatre, 
nor  had  he  heard  of  any  thing  free  in  the  name 
of  religion,  since  the  priests  always  charged  high 
fees  for  every  performance  such  as  mass,  bap- 
tisms, marriages,  funerals,  etc. 

As  I  v^^as  passing  along  the  streets  one  day 
offering  the  Scriptures  at  every  house,  I  saw 
through  a  window  a  woman  seated  at  a  table 
with  a  few  children  around  her ;  she  seemed  to  be 
reading  and  teaching  to  them  the  Bible.  I 
offered  her  a  book  and  was  rejoiced  to  hear  the 
reply  "  I  have  a  Bible,  thank  you."  She  herself 
was  a  Protestant  and  employed  as  a  teacher  in 
the  family.  Some  of  those  children  have  since 
grown  into  beautiful,  active  Christians,  and  that 
teacher  has  become  a  worker  in  connection  with 
one  of  the  missionary  societies  operating  in  this 
country. 

We  have  during  this  period  of  years  made  a 
number  of  trips  through  that  section  and  have 
each  time  sold  a  larger  number  of  copies  of  the 
Word.  The  missionary  who  was  with  us  on  the 
first  visit,  has  since  located  at  Nova  Friburgo, 
and  is  carrying  on  a  very  encouraging  work. 
The  work  has  provoked  much  opposition  upon 
the  part  of  the  priests  and  has  given  rise  to  some 
lively  discussions  in  the  papers.  A  number  of 
most    striking    instances    of    the    power  of  the 


90  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

Written  Word  to  convince  and  lead  men  to  Christ 
have  been  recorded  from  that  section,  and  the 
influence  is  deepening  and  spreading  in  all  di- 
rections ;  calls  are  constantly  coming  from  be- 
yond for  the  preachers  to  extend  their  labours 
further  and  further  that  others  may  hear  the 
good  news  of  salvation.  From  among  the  con- 
verts several  young  men  are  now  studying  for 
the  ministry  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
other  valuable  lay  workers  have  been  developed. 
They  all  delight  to  bear  testimony  to  the  value 
of  the  pioneer  work  done  among  them  by  the 
American  Bible  Society. 

We  left  the  city  of  Nova  Friburgo  by  train 
and  went  slowly  winding  around  and  climbing 
over  the  hills.  I  had  a  long  conversation  with 
our  conductor.  He  admitted  that  the  Bible  was 
a  good  book  but  said  the  people  do  not  need  it, 
they  know  what  is  right  and  what  is  wrong;  it  is 
only  necessary  for  men  to  believe  in  the  true 
God,  deal  honestly  and  justly  with  his  fellowmen 
and  be  hospitable.  He  laid  great  stress  on  the  vir- 
tue of  hospitality;  and  said  when  a  man  knows 
these  things  he  doesn't  need  to  know  more.  This 
man,  seemingly  a  moralist,  very  kind  and  hospit- 
able, is  a  striking  representative  of  a  very  large 
class  in  this  country.  They  tell  us  they  never  kill 
anybody,  never  steal  anything  and  never  lie,  deal 
honestly,  recognize  that  there  is  a  God,  and  are 
always  hospitable  and  charitable;  consequently 
they  think  they  are  at  peace  with  their  Creator, 


Among  the  Colonists  91 

and  that  all  will  be  well  with  them  in  this  life 
and  in  the  life  to  come.  It  seems  almost  impossi- 
ble to  make  them  realize  that  they  are  sinners. 
We  next  stopped  at  the  small  town  of  Sumi- 
douro ;  and,  following  what  I  have  thought  to  be 
a  wise  plan,  I  first  called  on  the  priest  and  offered 
him  a  Bible.  He  had  but  little  to  say,  and  seemed 
quite  satisfied  with  his  surroundings  and  the  con- 
dition of  the  people.  He  said  the  only  difference 
between  our  Bible  and  his  was  that  his  had  notes 
and  explanations  while  ours  had  none.  As  we 
canvassed  the  town  I  met  a  soldier  of  the  great 
Italian  General,  Garibaldi,  who  had  heard  the 
Gospel  in  Italy.  He  had  wandered  off  to  Brazil 
and  settled  in  this  town  among  the  hills.  He  gave 
us  a  warm  welcome  into  his  humble  home  and 
there  we  had  very  delightful  conversation  about 
things  pertaining  to  the  Christian  warfare  and 
the  Captain  of  our  Salvation.  In  the  afternoon 
I  went  along  a  country  road  leading  from  the  vil- 
lage and  by  the  roadside  I  sold  a  Bible  to  an  old 
grayhaired  man.  When  I  was  returning  to  the 
town  about  sundown  I  saw  him  sitting  outside 
his  cabin  door  with  his  family  and  two  or  three 
neighbours  all  gathered  around  listening  as  he 
read  aloud  the  wonderful  Words  of  Life.  I  did 
not  dare  to  disturb  them,  but  prayed  that  the 
Spirit  might  help  them  to  understand  the  truth. 
At  night  I  preached  to  a  number  of  attentive  lis- 
teners in  a  room  hired  for  the  purpose.  Among 
the  auditors  were  the  members  of  this  household 


pi  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

and  at  the  close  of  the  sermon,  I  had  an  mtcrest- 
ing  conversati(Mi  with  the  old  f^cntlcnian  and 
others.  A  nej^ro  boy  came  up  and  asked  what  I 
charged  for  confessing  a  ])erson.  I  asked  him 
what  he  wanted  to  confess.  He  said  that  abont 
fifteen  days  before  he  had  confessed  to  the  priest 
all  the  bad  things  he  had  done;  but  since  then 
he  had  done  a  number  of  evil  things,  and  if  it 
would  not  cost  him  too  much  money  he  would 
like  to  confess  them  all  to  me  that  I  might  obtain 
pardon  for  him.  I  tried  to  point  him  to  Christ, 
but  he  seemed  so  ignorant  and  so  fixed  in  his  idea 
of  confessing  only  to  a  ])ric\st,  .'uid  tlnis  with 
money  buy  absolution,  that  he  could  not  grasp  the 
truth.  We  left  in  that  town  more  than  a  score  of 
Bibles,  talked  with  many  persons  of  Jesus  and 
his  salvation,  preached  to  them  the  Gospel  and 
prayed  for  them.  As  we  journeyed  by  train  the 
following  day  we  sold  more  than  twenty  copies  of 
the  Scriptures,  and  had  several  interesting  con- 
versations with   fellow-passengers. 

We  passed  along  the  railroad  into  the  State 
of  Minas  Geracs  again  and  were  once  more  in 
the  valley  of  the  Parahyba,  this  time  at  l^orto 
Novo  on  the  dividing  line  between  the  two  States, 
and  where  a  branch  of  the  Central  Railroad  ends 
and  one  of  the  Leopoldina  begins.  This  State  of 
Minas  Geraes  which  we  enter  a  second  time  is 
one  of  the  most  important  of  the  Republic.  It 
has  an  area  of  3,184,099  square  kilometers  and 
a  po])ulation  of  about   3,200,000,  or  nearly  one- 


Among  the  Colonists  93 

fifth  of  the  population  of  the  entire  country.  We 
shall  have  occasion  to  enter  this  extensive  terri- 
tory on  several  other  journeys  from  different 
points,  and  the  reader  will  bear  in  mind  that  it 
may,  very  properly  speaking,  be  divided  into  four 
sections;  the  first  is  the  extensive  plateau  below 
the  Serra  de  Mantiqueira,  of  which  the  city  of 
Juuiz  de  Fora,  mentioned  in  the  first  journey,  is 
the  chief  commercial,  agricultural  and  indus- 
trial centre ;  the  second  is  the  highland  and  moun- 
tainous mining  region  above  the  Serra,  with 
Ouro  Preto,  as  the  principal  centre;  the  third  is 
the  great  Sertao,  or  inland  region  of  elevated 
plains  and  hills  extending  to  the  west  and  south- 
west; and  the  fourth  is  the  spreading  valley  of 
the  San  Francisco  reaching  northward.  The 
climate  of  the  first  section,  though  warm  and  at 
times  damp,  is  by  no  means  so  hot  and  humid  as 
that  of  the  lower  sea-coast  region ;  that  of  the 
second  is  temperate  and  considered  one  of  the 
most  healthy  in  the  world ;  while  that  of  the  third 
and  fourth  is  variable. 

The  Parahyba  river  which  we  now  cross,  rises 
in  the  state  of  Sao  Paulo  in  the  highland  region 
near  the  coast  about  3,000  feet  above  the  sea 
level  and  flows  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  west 
of  the  Serra  do  Mar,  a  distance  of  635  miles  and 
empties  into  the  ocean.  The  plateau  declines 
somewhat  as  it  extends  eastward  to  the  Serra  do 
Mar.  The  chief  industry  of  this  part  of  the  val- 
ley and  the  plateau  is  coffee  raising.    The  climate 


94  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

is  warm  and  the  soil  fertile,  and  here  we  find 
some  of  the  most  productive  coffee  farms  of  the 
State.  A  ride  through  the  country  on  horse- 
back or  even  along  the  railway  on  the  train  will 
give  one  a  very  good  opportunity  to  observe  the 
different  phases  of  coffee  raising.  There  are  two 
periods  when  the  trees  present  a  most  interesting 
aspect:  the  first,  when  they  are  in  full  blossom. 
In  the  early  morning,  after  a  refreshing  shower, 
or  while  the  heavy  dew  still  lingers,  as  one  rides 
along  the  rows  of  low,  bushy,  coffee  trees  all 
covered  with  small  white  blossoms,  from  the 
scene  so  enchanting  to  the  eye,  there  arises  an 
aroma  that  fills  the  whole  atmosphere  with  its 
sweet  perfume.  A  few  months  later,  when  the 
atmosphere  is  cooler  and  the  rains  have  ceased 
for  a  season,  the  scene  changes,  and  we  find  that 
the  little  flowers  have  turned  into  beautiful  red 
berries.  We  may  now  see  the  men,  women  and 
children  with  their  baskets  gathering  the  precious 
fruit  to  be  spread  out  for  drying  on  the  large 
cemented  inclosures  about  the  farm  house.  When 
we  realize  how  interesting  and  profitable  this 
coffee  industry  has  been  for  years  throughout 
these  regions,  we  are  not  much  surprised  that  the 
planters  have  confined  themselves  to  this  one 
crop,  and  greatly  to  their  own  disadvantage,  have 
until  recently,  neglected  almost  entirely  all  others. 
Now  that  the  production  has  greatly  increased, 
not  only  from  Brazil  but  from  other  parts  of  the 
world,   and  the  price  consequently  been    much 


Among  the  Colonists  95 

reduced,  the  farmers  have  begun  to  realize  the 
necessity  of  planting  other  things  besides  coffee; 
and  they  are  finding  that  their  fertile  lands  read- 
ily produce  corn,  beans,  rice,  potatoes  and  other 
necessary  articles  of  food. 

The  Gospel  work  through  this  section  was  be- 
gun a  few  years  ago  by  our  colporteurs,  who 
first  visited  the  towns  and  villages  along  the  rail- 
road. In  these  places  we  encountered  much  op- 
position at  times  and  there  was  often  little  to 
encourage  our  efforts,  owing  to  the  war  waged 
upon  us  and  our  Bibles  by  the  priests.  How- 
ever, God  now  and  then  gave  us  signs  of  good 
being  done  and  evidences  that  the  darkness  was 
giving  away.  After  the  work  had  been  going  on 
for  some  time,  I  made  a  second  trip  through  this 
region,  and  at  the  town  of  Santa  Luzia,  where 
we  went  for  the  first  time,  I  had  an  experience 
quite  characteristic  of  what  frequently  has  hap- 
pened to  us.  On  arriving  in  the  town  with  a  col- 
porteur and  a  good  supply  of  books,  we  secured 
lodging  in  a  small  hotel.  We  called  on  the  mu- 
nicipal authorities  then  present  in  the  town.  They 
were  slow  to  give  us  permission  to  sell  the  Scrip- 
tures, but  finally  after  considerable  explanation 
they  consented.  We  started  through  the  town 
from  store  to  store,  from  house  to  house,  and 
frequently  stopped  persons  in  the  streets,  offer- 
ing to  every  one  the  Word  of  God.  Very  few 
were  at  all  inclined  to  buy.  By  and  by  I  saw  an 
opportunity  to  hire  a  hall  in  which  to  preach  to 


96  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

the  people.  A  large  audience  filled  the  place  and 
numbers  gathered  in  the  street  around  the  door 
and  windows.  Curiosity  seemed  to  be  the  motive 
that  had  brought  most  if  not  all  of  the  hearers 
out  that  night.  When  I  had  concluded  my  ser- 
mon, the  public  school  teacher  of  the  place  arose 
and  asked  permission  to  speak.  I  said  only  with 
the  consent  of  the  people.  They  all  with  united 
voice,  said  they  were  willing  that  he  should 
speak.  If  any  trouble  should  arise  I  wanted  the 
responsibility  to  be  on  them.  He  began  by  say- 
ing that  the  Bible  of  these  Protestants  was  false 
and  that  he  wished  to  show  to  the  audience 
wherein  it  was  false.  He  then  drew  from  his 
pocket  a  little  book  which  I  recognized  as  being 
a  volume  with  a  mixture  of  Bible  stories  and 
Roman  Catholic  interpolations,  written  by  a  Ger- 
man priest,  approved  by  Bishops  and  Arch- 
bishops of  Europe  and  Brazil  and  translated  into 
Portuguese  by  the  Bishop  of  Para.  He  declared 
this  to  be  the  true  Bible,  since  it  was  so  fully 
approved  by  the  Apostolic  Roman  Catholic 
church,  and  said  he  would  proceed  to  read  a 
passage  and  compare  it  with  a  similar  passage 
from  the  false  Protestant  Bible.  He  asked  for 
one  of  ours  which  was  quickly  handed  to  him. 
He  chose  the  story  of  Jacob  and  the  flocks  of 
Laban,  and  read  from  his  book  the  following 
which  is  a  literal  translation :  *'  Jacob  remained 
for  the  space  of  twenty  years  keeping  the  cattle 
of  Laban.     He   (Laban)   in  various  ways  went 


Among  the  Colonists  97 

on  diminishing  the  renumeration  agreed  upon; 
God,  however,  blessed  Jacob  more  and  more 
every  time,  so  that  he  became  extremely  rich.  He 
married  and  had  many  servants,  sheep,  camels 
and  asses."  He  then  opened  the  Bible  and  began 
looking  through  the  New  Testament  for  the 
story  of  Laban  and  Jacob.  After  he  had  been 
turning  the  pages  for  some  five  minutes  or  more 
and  was  becoming  much  confused,  the  colporteur, 
kinder  of  heart  toward  him  than  I,  took  the  Bible, 
and  opened  for  him  at  Genesis  xxx  and  xxxi. 
He  then  began  reading  the  story  which  evidently 
did  not  sound  just  as  the  priest  had  told  him  it 
read  from  the  false  Bible.  When  he  came  to  the 
verse,  "  Thus  God  hath  taken  away  the  cattle  of 
your  father,  and  hath  given  them  to  me,"  he 
stopped  and  exclaimed  with  great  surprise,  ''  how 
is  this?"  After  some  effort  he  seemed  a  little 
more  composed  and  proceeded  to  explain  that  his 
true  Bible  stated  that  Jacob's  prosperity  was  due 
entirely  to  God's  intervention  and  blessing,  while 
the  Protestant's  false  Bible  taught  that  his  suc- 
cess was  due  entirely  to  his  own  chicanery  and 
shrewdness.  The  audience  who  had  listened  at- 
tentively to  the  reading  were  at  a  loss  to  see  on 
what  ground  he  made  the  distinction,  and  some 
said  it  must  be  because  the  priest  had  said  so. 

He  made  another  failure,  and  then  asked  for 
the  statutes  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  and 
said  the  Society  was  not  authorized  to  distribute 
Bibles  in  Brazil.     I  then  handed  him  a  copy  of 


98  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

the  Constitution  and  bylaws  of  the  Society  and 
a  copy  of  a  resolution  of  the  Brazilian  govern- 
ment which  I  had  had  printed  in  pamphlet  form 
for  circulation  and  which  reads  as  follows  :  "  Rio 
de  Janeiro,  May  4,   1868.     Most  illustrious  and 

Most  Excellent  Senhor. There  was  presented 

to  His  Majesty  the  Emperor,  the  complaint  of 
Torquato  Martins  Cardoso  against  the  president 
and  the  chief  of  police  of  this  province,  prohibit- 
ing the  sale  of  sacred  books  on  the  ground  that 
they  were  considered  contrary  to  the  doctrines  of 
the  Apostolic  Roman  Catholic  Religion. 

"  And  his  August  Majesty,  having  heard  the 
judicial  Council  of  State,  with  whose  opinion 
he  agreed  by  his  imperial  and  immediate  resolu- 
tion of  the  22  ultimo,  was  pleased  to  order  to  be 
communicated  to  your  Excellency: 

"  I.  That  it  is  the  strict  duty  of  this  presi- 
dency to  respect  and  maintain  the  individual  lib- 
erty, guaranteed  by  article  179,  §§  i,  5  and  24  of 
the  Constitution. 

*'2.  That  the  chief  of  police  cannot  proceed 
against  the  reclaimant  except  in  the  cases  ex- 
pressed in  articles  277-278  of  the  Code,  and  then 
not  arbitrarily  but  by  legal  procedure. 

"  3.  That  it  is  not  lawful  for  an  officer  of  the 
Imperial  Government  to  utter  or  maintain  the  in- 
tention of  proceeding  arbitrarily  in  case  of  a  de- 
ficiency in  the  laws  of  the  country. 

*'  I  communicate  this  to  you  for  your  informa- 
tion and  due  execution. 


Among  the  Colonists  99 

"  May  God  keep  your  Excellency.  Signed 
Martins  Francisco  Ribeiro  Andrade.  President 
of  the  province  of  Sergipe. 

CONSTITUTION. 

Article  5. — All  other  religions  will  be  al- 
lowed with  their  domestic  or  private  worship  in 
houses  set  apart  for  this  purpose,  without  any 
exterior  form  of  a  temple. 

Article  179.  I.  No  citizen  shall  be  compel- 
led to  do  or  not  to  do  anything  except  by  virtue 
of  the  law. 

5.  No  one  shall  be  persecuted  because  of  his 
religion  as  long  as  he  respects  that  of  the  State 
and  does  not  offend  public  morality. 

24.  No  kind  of  work,  culture,  industry  or 
commerce  shall  be  prohibited  to  the  security  of 
the  citizens  so  long  as  it  does  not  oppose  the  pub- 
lic customs. 

CODE. 

Article  277. — To  abuse  or  ridicule  any  re- 
ligion whatever  established  in  the  Empire  by 
means  of  papers  printed,  lithographed  or  en- 
graved, that  should  be  distributed  by  more  than 
fifteen  persons  or  by  means  of  discourses  spoken 
in  public  meetings,  or  at  the  time  and  place  where 
the  worship  takes  place. — Penalties  of  imprison- 
ment from  one  to  six  months  and  a  fine  corres- 
ponding to  half  that  time. 

Article    278. — To    propagate    by    means    of 


lOO  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

papers  printed,  lithographed  or  engraved,  that 
should  be  distributed  by  more  than  fifteen  per- 
sons or  by  means  of  discourses  spoken  in  public 
meetings,  doctrines  that  directly  destroy  the  fun- 
damental truths  of  the  existence  of  God  and  the 
immortality  of  the  soul. — Penalties  of  imprison- 
ment from  four  months  to  one  year  and  a  fine 
corresponding  to  half  the  time." 

My  adversary  was  greatly  taken  aback  by  such 
documents  and  the  audience  looked  on  and  lis- 
tened with  amazement.  He  was  compelled  from 
the  documentary  evidence  to  admit  the  existence 
of  such  an  institution  as  the  American  Bible 
Society  and  that  it  was  not  contrary  to  the  Con- 
stitution and  laws  of  the  Empire  that  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Society  should  carry  on  the 
work  of  selling  and  distributing  the  Bible  through 
the  country.  He  then  said  to  the  people  that  I 
was  not  an  authorized  minister  of  the  Gospel 
nor  the  duly  accredited  representative  of  the 
Bible  Society.  I  produced  my  certificate  of  el- 
ders' orders  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  which  had  been  translated  into  Portu- 
guese and  duly  recognized  and  registered  by  the 
Imperial  Government,  and  also  the  certificate 
of  my  appointment  as  the  authorized  Agent  of 
the  American  Bible  Society  for  Brazil.  It  seemed 
useless  to  continue  the  meeting  longer,  and  so 
I  proposed  that  we  dismiss  the  audience,  at  which 
suggestion  my  assailant  seemed  greatly  relieved, 


Among  the  Colonists  loi 

A  number  lingered  to  ask  questions  and  some  to 
buy  copies  of  the  Bible.  When  we  returned  to 
our  hotel  a  soldier  in  full  uniform  frightened  us 
by  knocking  at  our  door;  we  were  much  relieved 
and  greatly  rejoiced  when  he  informed  us  that 
he  wanted  to  buy  a  Bible. 

The  next  morning  we  went  on  with  our  can- 
vass of  the  town  and  sold  a  number  of  Scrip- 
tures. By  and  by  we  were  accosted  by  an  official 
of  the  Municipal  Council  who  demanded  to  know 
by  what  authority  we  were  selling  books  through 
the  streets.  I  replied  that  we  had  the  verbal  per- 
mission of  the  highest  authorities  that  were  pres- 
ent in  the  town  when  we  arrived  there.  He  in- 
formed us  that  we  were  violating  the  laws  of  the 
township,  and  since  we  had  no  written  authoriza- 
tion for  our  work,  he  was  commissioned  to  arrest 
and  imprison  us  for  the  offence.  He  then  drew 
from  his  pocket  the  papers  to  this  effect,  all  duly 
signed  and  stamped.  All  such  documents  to  be 
of  value  had  to  have  a  certain  amount  of  revenue 
stamps ;  so  far  as  I  could  judge  not  one  was  lack- 
ing in  this  case.  We  had  no  alternative  but  to 
gracefully  yield  to  the  arrest  and  be  led  away 
through  the  streets  to  prison.  Our  enemies  re- 
joiced, ridiculed  and  sneered  at  us  as  we  were 
marched  on  to  the  jail.  When  I  had  had  time 
to  reflect  a  little,  I  called  to  mind  another  docu- 
ment which  I  found  very  useful  in  those  days :  it 
was  the  passport  of  my  American  citizenship.  I 
called  the  official's  attention  to  it  and  threatened 


I02  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

to  appeal  to  the  United  States  Minister  at  Rio 
de  Janeiro  if  they  did  not  release  me.  They 
seemed  to  recognize  that  I  might  be  in  the  right 
and  thought  perhaps  it  might  turn  out  to  be  a 
serious  matter.  Finally  they  consented  to  take 
the  case  before  the  president  of  the  town  council, 
who  in  the  meantime  had  arrived  from  a  journey 
on  which  he  had  been  for  several  days.  When 
we  appeared  before  him,  the  official  made  his 
representation  of  the  case,  and  I  then  made  ours, 
showing  in  the  first  place  that  we  were  not  mer- 
chants or  pedlers  in  a  business  sense,  but  that  we 
were  messengers  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  en- 
gaged as  we  believed  in  our  King's  business; 
and  in  the  second  place,  that  we  had  taken  the 
precaution  to  explain  the  nature  of  our  mission 
to  the  authorities  and  obtain  their  consent.  The 
president,  who  was  a  fair  minded  man,  very 
soon  gave  his  verdict  in  our  favour,  and  ordered 
our  release.  The  official  who  had  us  in  charge, 
plead  with  him  to  make  us  at  least  pay  for 
the  revenue  stamps  used  on  the  papers  for  au- 
thorizing our  arrest.  The  president  answered 
that  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  that,  that  he  con- 
sidered our  arrest  illegal  and  demanded  our  im- 
mediate release.  Of  course  we  at  once  had  our 
liberty  and  went  about  our  work.  In  this  ex- 
perience we  began  to  feel  what  it  means  to  suflfer 
and  to  be  persecuted  for  the  sake  of  the  Gospel. 
When  I  came  to  thank  the  president  for  his  kind- 
ness and  informed  him  that  it  was  my  purpose 


Among  the  Colonists  103 

to  leave  the  colporteur  to  make  a  thorough  can- 
vass of  the  town  and  community,  he  advised  me 
to  secure  a  license  to  prevent  any  further  dis- 
turbance. As  the  amount  demanded  was  small, 
I  acted  on  his  advice  that  the  colporteur  might 
have  full  liberty  and  protection  after  I  left  him. 

By  this  time  the  priest,  who  had  instigated  all 
this  opposition,  appeared  on  the  scene  and  openly 
in  the  streets  denounced  us  and  our  Bibles,  say- 
ing that  we  were  devils  and  that  our  Bibles  were 
false,  that  they  were  the  work  of  the  devil  and 
full  of  lies.  A  crowd  gathered  around  us,  at 
the  railroad  station,  and  as  the  priest  stretched 
out  his  arm  and  with  extended  finger  just  over 
our  Bibles,  denounced  them  as  false  and  danger- 
ous books,  threatening  with  excommunication 
any  who  might  buy  and  read  them,  we  sold  sev- 
eral copies  to  anxious  enquirers  after  the  truth. 
The  next  day,  after  I  had  left  to  meet  another 
of  our  workers  at  a  central  point  in  this  section, 
the  colporteur,  who  was  not  well,  sat  in  the 
door  of  the  hotel  and  sold  more  than  sixty  copies 
of  the  Scriptures  to  persons  who  came  for  the 
express  purpose  of  buying. 

The  work  has  continued  to  go  forward  and 
the  fruits  are  being  gathered  by  the  Christian 
workers.  Just  ten  years  from  that  time,  I  was 
preaching  one  night  in  a  rented  hall  in  the  new 
Capital  of  the  State:  a  stranger  came  in  and 
took  a  seat  near  the  door,  listened  attentively, 
and  when    I    gave   an    opportunity    for    those 


I04  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

desirour  of  salvation  to  come  forward,  he  was  the 
first  to  give  me  his  hand.  After  the  meeting  in 
conversation  I  learned  that  he  had  bought  a 
Bible  on  the  occasion  above  referred  to. 

A  colporteur  passing  through  this  section  in 
1899  wrote :  "  I  arrived  here  at  an  early  hour  this 
morning,  not  thinking  it  wise  to  spend  Sunday 
in  Sao  Paulo,  where  the  padre  is  much  stirred 
up,  as  well  he  might  be.  The  two  days  that  I 
spent  there  God  blessed  my  work  in  a  very  re- 
markable manner,  and  I  had  good  reason  to  be 
astonished,  considering  how  little  I  really  knew 
of  the  language.  I  canvassed  the  large  city  of 
five  or  six  thousand  inhabitants  from  end  to  end, 
and  did  not  encounter  one  individual  who  had 
enough  faith  and  confidence  to  defend  the  Church 
of  Rome  against  her  condemnation  by  the  Word 
of  God.  The  people  are  getting  awake,  thank 
God.  I  surprised  a  few  of  the  city  fathers  by 
telling  them  that  they  need  not  seek  for  the 
secret  of  the  present  unhappy  decadent  condi- 
tion of  Brazil  in  the  price  of  coffee,  heavy  taxa- 
tion, or  bad  government,  but  in  the  latter  part  of 
verse  five  of  the  twentieth  chapter  of  Exodus,  and 
they  one  and  all  admit  it,  some  very  sadly. 

"  I  feel  that  we  are  on  the  eve  of  a  great  out- 
pouring of  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  men  and  women 
are  being  stirred  up  to  perceive  the  real  truth  of 
things  in  a  manner  which  needs  some  other  ex- 
planation besides  that  of  the  Protestant  missions 
in   Brazil.     What   I  have  seen    and  what    the 


Among  the  Colonists  105 

people  tell  me  leaves  me  no  doubt  that  the  circula- 
tion of  the  Scriptures  is  a  big  factor  in  this  com- 
ing revolution  of  ideas,  and  that  the  Word  of 
God  is  being  especially  blessed  to  open  the  eyes 
of  the  blind,  and  to  be  a  light  unto  these  be- 
nighted people.  I  enclose  a  list  of  sales  in  eight 
days :  39  Bibles,  81  Testaments,  and  237  Por- 
tions. Forty-two  Gospels  were  given  away, 
chiefly  to  the  numerous  prisoners  and  to  the 
soldiers  of  the  city  prison." 

At  the  town  of  Uba  I  met  two  colporteurs,  who 
gave  interesting  accounts  of  their  trip  on  mule- 
back  across  the  country  from  Juiz  de  Fora;  they 
had  sold  a  number  of  copies  of  the  Word,  es- 
pecially in  rural  districts,  and  were  greatly  en- 
couraged with  the  prospects  of  the  work  to  be 
done  among  the  tillers  of  the  soil.  We  had  a 
season  of  prayer  together  that  night,  asking  the 
Lord  to  direct  our  work  in  the  city  of  Uba.  The 
following  day  we  had  good  success  and  arranged 
to  have  preaching  in  the  theatre  at  two  o'clock 
on  Sunday  and  in  a  private  house  at  seven  o'clock 
Sunday  night.  The  Sabbath  morning  was  fair; 
great  numbers  attended  mass  in  the  Catholic 
Church.  With  us  it  was  a  time  of  prayer  and 
preparation  for  the  hour  when  for  the  first  time 
we  were  to  preach  the  Gospel  publicly  in  that 
place.  At  the  appointed  hour  a  large  number 
of  hearers,  principally  men  and  boys,  gathered  to 
hear  the  sermon.  I  was  much  impressed  with  the 
very  close  attention  and  good  behaviour  of  three 


io6  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

men  who  sat  on  the  front  seat  very  near  me.  At 
the  close  they  went  quietly  out  and  entered  a 
house  adjoining  the  theatre.  Some  one  then 
called  my  attention  to  the  fact  that  two  of  them 
were  sons  of  the  priest  of  the  town  and  the  other 
was  the  sacristao  (sexton  and  vestry  keeper)  of 
the  church,  who  had  been  sent  by  the  priest  to 
hear  what  I  had  to  say  and  then  to  report  to  him. 
Very  soon  the  priest  appeared  from  the  house 
where  he  had  been  secretly  waiting  to  hear  their 
report,  and  in  the  public  street  began  in  a  very 
loud  and  excited  manner  to  denounce  the  Protes- 
tants and  their  Bible ;  he  sought  to  incite  the  peo- 
ple to  persecute  and  drive  us  out.  No  one  seemed 
disposed  to  molest  us,  and  I  wondered  that  he 
had  so  little  influence  over  them.  Very  soon  I 
learned  that  he  had  a  very  bad  name  in  the  com- 
munity; for  besides  being  the  father  of  several 
illegitimate  children,  he  had  married  one  of  his 
sons  to  one  of  his  daughters,  and  when  the  people 
complained  about  it,  his  answer  was  that  they 
had  different  mothers.  Public  sentiment  pro- 
tested so  strongly  against  this  act  that  he  was 
forced  to  secure  for  the  couple  a  separation,  there 
being  no  such  thing  possible  as  divorce. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  evangelistic  effort 
in  that  section ;  the  work  has  been  followed  up  by 
frequent  visits  of  our  colporteurs  who  have  al- 
ways had  good  sales  of  Scriptures. 

From  Uba  we  continued  our  journey  along  the 
valley    following    the    line    of    the    Leopoldina 


Among  the  Colonists  107 

Railway,  did  good  work  in  the  small  town  of  Rio 
Branco,  and  very  soon  began  to  climb  the  Serra 
de  Sao  Geraldo.  The  highest  point  reached  on 
this  Serra  by  the  railway  is  about  2,333  ^^^^ 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  From  these  heights 
there  are  magnificent  views  of  the  Rio  Blanco 
(White  River)  valley.  Near  the  town  of  Rio 
Blanco  two  Englishmen,  who  had  not  succeeded 
well  in  their  coffee  planting  enterprises,  began  a 
few  years  ago  to  plant  sugar-cane  and  more  re- 
cently the  industry  has  spread  extensively 
throughout  that  valley. 

We  were  now  starting  on  our  journey  for  places 
not  yet  visited  by  colporteur  or  missionary.  The 
second  day  one  of  the  colporteurs,  a  new  man, 
(the  son  of  a  Catholic  priest)  asked  me  to  turn 
aside  from  our  route  to  a  farm  where  lived  some 
relatives  of  his.  I  thought  this  might  be  an  open 
door,  or  call  of  the  Spirit,  since  the  people  had 
never  heard  the  Gospel.  About  three  o'clock  p.  m. 
we  came  to  the  house,  and  were  cordially  wel- 
comed by  the  lady  of  the  house.  The  gentleman 
came  in  about  five  o'clock,  and  a  dinner  of  black 
beans,  rice,  farinha  (a  kind  of  meal  made  from 
the  root  of  the  mandioca),  mush,  salad,  chicken, 
and  coffee  was  served  in  primitive  style.  When 
the  gentleman  was  asked  if  we  might  preach  to 
them  that  night,  he  replied  that  he  was  not  able 
to  pay  for  it.  The  colporteur  replied:  "You 
don't  have  to  pay  for  it."  He  said :  "  But  I  al- 
ways have  to  pay  the  priests  a  big  price  for  all 


io8  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

they  do  for  me."  The  colporteur  responded: 
"  This  is  a  minister  of  the  free  Gospel  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  it  won't  cost  you  anything  to 
hear."  Here  was  the  invitation :  "  He  that  hath 
no  money,"  etc.  The  family,  the  servants,  a  few 
travellers,  and  ourselves  made  a  congregation  of 
thirty-five  or  forty.  Save  the  two  colporteurs, 
not  one  of  them  had  ever  before  heard  a  Gospel 
sermon.  Several  seemed  to  comprehend  in  part, 
at  least,  the  truth,  and  were  more  deeply  inter- 
ested. 

Sunday  morning  at  the  mass  the  priest  told  the 
people  there  were  some  wolves  in  the  town  selling 
false  Bibles  and  preaching  lies ;  said  they  were 
stopping  in  a  house  of  ill- fame,  were  unworthy 
the  respect  of  decent  people,  and  ought  to  be 
driven  out  of  the  town.  He  warned  them  against 
going  to  the  services  and  said  he  would  excom- 
municate every  one  who  attended.  He  did  us 
"  much  evil.  The  Lord  reward  him  according  to 
his  works,"  and  have  mercy  on  him  in  his  ignor- 
ance. Notwithstanding  his  prohibition  and  threats, 
some  fifty  or  more  persons  came  to  hear  the  Gos- 
pel. I  read  to  them  the  history  of  the  Philippian 
jailer  and  his  conversion,  and  preached  to  them 
for  thirty-five  minutes  from  the  inquiry :  "  Sirs, 
what  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ? "  and  the  reply. 
The  hearers  gave  good  attention  and  showed 
much  interest  to  know  more  of  the  way.  In  the 
afternoon  a  young  man  came  and  asked  me  to  go 
to  his  cousin's  house,  and  preach  at  night  to  forty 


Among  the  Colonists  109 

or  fifty  who  were  anxious  to  hear  more  of  the 
Gospel.  At  seven  o'clock  I  started  to  the  house 
where  the  people  were  to  assemble.  The  young 
man  met  me,  and  said  the  gentleman  and  his  wife 
had  become  much  disturbed  by  the  threats  of  the 
priest  to  excommunicate  all  who  attended  the 
services,  and  had  concluded  not  to  allow  me  to 
preach  in  their  house,  but  said  they  were  willing 
for  me  to  meet  the  people  who  had  assembled. 
We  did  not  have  a  formal  service  of  song,  prayer, 
etc.,  but  I  sat  in  my  chair  in  the  midst  of  about 
forty  men  and  women,  and  for  the  space  of  an 
hour  conversed  with  them,  telling  them  of  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  the  Scriptures.  Greater  good 
may  have  been  accomplished  than  if  the  service 
had  been  a  more  formal  one.  Some  asked  ques- 
tions, showing  they  were  concerned  to  know  more 
of  the  truth. 

Within  fifteen  days  we  sold  383  copies  of  the 
sacred  Scriptures,  and  I  preached  in  four  impor- 
tant towns,  centres  of  much  traffic  and  influence, 
where  the  Gospel  had  never  before  been  preached, 
besides  other  smaller  places.  Some  souls  came 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  and  found  peace, 
and  many  more  were  left  with  the  Word  and  our 
prayers  that  God  might  lead  them  to  a  knowledge 
of  salvation. 

Several  months  after  this  trip  I  received  a 
letter  from  one  of  our  colporteurs  who  was  re- 
turning through  that  section,  in  which  he  said 
the  farmer,  above  referred  to,  and  a  number  of 


iio  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

other  persons  were  very  anxious  to  have  me  re- 
turn and  preach  to  them  again.  Being  so  much 
occupied  that  I  could  not  go,  I  wrote  to  one  of 
the  missionaries  requesting  him  to  go,  but  he  also 
had  too  much  else  to  do.  During  the  next  year 
this  same  colporteur  made  another  visit  to  the 
family  and  found  a  number  in  the  community  so 
deeply  interested  that  he  wrote  a  most  urgent  let- 
ter asking  me  to  go  there  and  visit  them.  Again 
I  could  not  find  the  time  to  do  so,  and  again  urged 
the  missionary  to  go.  Several  months  passed 
before  he  found  the  time  to  go,  but  finally  went. 
He  found  this  man  and  several  other  persons 
deeply  interested  in  the  Gospel.  They  had  been 
reading  the  Bibles  constantly.  During  the  first 
visit  seven  persons  asked  for  baptism  and  mem- 
bership in  the  church.  Several  months  later  a 
second  visit  was  made  to  that  community  and 
nineteen  persons  professed  their  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ  and  asked  for  admission  into  the  church. 
A  young  man  in  this  community  who  was  study- 
ing for  the  priesthood,  became  interested  in  the 
Bible  through  one  of  our  colporteurs,  was  con- 
verted, became  a  preacher,  and  is  now  a  most 
successful  teacher  in  one  of  the  Protestant  col- 
leges. 

There  are  many  thrilling  stories  of  the  power 
and  influence  the  reading  of  the  Word  has  had 
and  is  still  having  throughout  this  region.  One 
of  the  missionaries  relates  an  interesting  incident 
of  a    Bible  left  at  the  house  of  a    farmer,  the 


Among  the  Colonists  iii 

reading  of  which  led  to  the  conversion  of  several 
members  of  the  family.  It  was  then  lent  to  a 
second,  then  to  a  third,  and  finally  to  a  fourth 
family,  in  all  of  which  like  results  followed.  A 
lady  heard  of  a  missionary  at  work  in  a  town 
not  far  away,  and  came  to  hear  him  preach  and 
invite  him  to  the  farms.  He  made  several  visits 
there  and  at  last  organized  a  church  with  twenty- 
four  members.  He  regards  this  as  the  fruit  of 
one  Bible  left  in  the  community  by  one  of  our 
colporteurs. 

Touring  through  the  regions  north  and  west 
of  this  a  few  years  later,  one  of  our  colporteurs 
wrote :  "  At  Rio  San  Francisco  we  had  really  a 
wonderful  and  blessed  experience.  After  selling 
quite  a  number  of  books,  we  were  preparing  for 
a  start  when  Senhor  Carlos  Mariano  Pereira 
called  on  us  and  told  us  that  this  place  had  never 
before  been  visited  by  a  colporteur  or  preacher. 
He  is  very  much  interested  in  the  Gospel,  and  has 
been  a  subscriber  to  the  "  Expositor  "  for  some 
years.  We  met  several  people  who  spoke  of  him, 
and  we  found  he  was  the  "  little  leaven  "  which 
had  leavened  considerable  of  the  lump.  With 
great  pride  this  dear  old  man  showed  us  a  Figuei- 
redo  Bible  from  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society  which  had  been  in  his  possession  sixty-five 
years,  and  I  judge  from  its  appearance  and  from 
the  old  gentleman's  conversation  that  it  had  been 
well  read.  The  title  page  bore  the  date  of  1821. 
We  preached  at  his  house  to  a  very  attentive 


112  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

audience  which  filled  the   front   hall,   and   there 
were  a  great  number  outside  also. 

Starting  early  next  morning  we  arrived  late 
Saturday  night  at  San  Miguel,  but  waited  till 
Monday  before  attempting  any  work,  when  we 
canvassed  the  place  in  about  five  hours.  Our 
fame  had  preceded  us,  and  everybody  we  met 
said  "  Livro  Protestante.''  I  called  on  the  padre 
(priest),  who  seemed  at  a  loss  to  combat  my 
denial  that  the  New  Testament  was  a  Protestant 
book,  and  my  offer  to  prove  its  identity  with  that 
approved  by  the  Bishop  of  Coimbra  and  Santa 
Fe.  A  man  who  was  listening  became  much 
enraged,  and  vowed  that  we  should  do  no  preach- 
ing there.  In  spite  of  all  the  opposition  we  sold 
forty-eight  New  Testaments  and  Portions. 
About  seven  in  the  evening  a  mob,  headed  by 
this  man,  came  to  our  ranching  place  with  evil 
intent,  but  being  forewarned  we  locked  the  door 
and  blew  out  the  light,  while  the  proprietor,  with 
his  two  sons  and  other  friends,  determined  to 
resist  the  mob  and  protect  us  and  their  property. 
So  God  raised  up  men  to  be  instrumental  in  our 
escape.  By  five  a.  m.  we  were  away,  thankful 
indeed  to  God  that  he  had  delivered  us  out  of  the 
hands  of  our  enemies.  As  usual,  this  exhibition 
of  lawlessness  can  be  traced  directly  to  the 
priest,  who  called  the  people  together  before  we 
had  gone  a  dozen  yards  from  his  house,  and  who, 
as  we  afterward  learned,  advised  them  to  commit 
our  books  to  the  fiames. 


V 

Overland  to  Bahia 

ESPIRITO  SANTO OUR  LADY  OF  THE  GROTTO THE 

priest's     bible THE     DIAMOND     DISTRICT 

BITTER   OPPOSITION    OVERCOME. 

THE  territory  embraced  in  three  journeys 
includes  the  State  of  Espirito  Santo  and 
parts  of  Minas  Geraes  and  Bahia.  The 
State  of  Espirito  Santo  Hes  on  the  sea-coast  north 
of  Rio  de  Janeiro.  It  is  about  245  miles  in  length 
from  north  to  south  and  about  eighty-five  in  width 
from  east  to  west.  The  land  along  the  seacoast  is 
for  the  most  part  low  and  sandy;  the  Rio  Doce 
(Sweet  River)  divides  the  State  into  nearly  two 
equal  parts,  and  about  its  mouth  along  the  coast 
and  for  some  distance  interior  there  are  many 
lakes  and  the  land  is  marshy.  This  section  is 
covered  with  tropical  growths  peculiarly  adapted 
to  the  soil,  such  as  the  Guriry  Palm,  a  great 
variety  of  plants  of  the  genus  myrtus  and  of  cac- 
tus. Through  the  interior  both  to  the  north  and 
south  of  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Doce  the  lands  are 
much  higher  and  become  mountainous  or  hilly, 
and  with  this  elevation  the  climate  and  vegeta- 
tion change  considerably;  along  the  coast  it  is 
damp  and  hot,  while  in  the  highlands  it  becomes 
113 


114  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

dry  and  milder.  Fevers,  dysentery  and  other  dis- 
eases  common  in  the  tropics  are  frequent  in  this 
section.  There  are  a  number  of  small  rivers 
which  rise  in  the  mountains  and  flow  eastward 
into  the  ocean,  very  few  of  which  furnish  naviga- 
tion except  for  canoes,  barges  or  small  boats  of 
very  light  draft.  The  Leopoldina  Company  has 
a  few  miles  of  railroad  in  operation  in  the  south- 
ern portion  of  the  State,  and  there  is  a  line  from 
Victoria,  the  capital,  which  extends  about  fif- 
teen miles  into  the  interior;  both  these  lines  are 
to  be  extended  and  others  are  projected.  From 
this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  transportation  of  our 
Bibles  through  this  State  must  be  carried  on  prin- 
cipally by  means  of  pack-mules.  Victoria,  the 
capital,  a  city  of  about  8,000  inhabitants,  is  on 
the  island  from  which  the  State  takes  its  name. 
On  the  23d  of  May,  1535,  Vasco  Fernandes  en- 
tered w^hat  he  thought  to  be  the  mouth  of  a  river, 
and  the  day  being  the  Sunday  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
he  gave  it  the  name  of  River  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  As  the  land  on  which  he  first  placed  foot 
proved  afterwards  to  be  an  island,  it  took  the 
same  name,  which  was  later  given  to  the  prov- 
ince. The  early  settlers  built  a  village  and  gave 
it  the  name  of  Nossa  Senhora  da  Victoria  (Our 
Lady  of  Victory)  before  they  had  even  fought  a 
battle  with  the  wild  tribes.  There  is  no  other 
town  in  the  State  of  more  than  three  or  four 
thousand  inhabitants. 

We  first  reach  the  city  of  Victoria  by  steamer 


Overland  to  Bahia  115 

from  Rio  de  Janeiro,  a  distance  of  about  265 
miles.  As  our  steamer  winds  along  the  narrow 
inlet  the  characteristic  cone-shaped  hills  and  bare 
rocks  rise  in  irregular  heights  to  the  right  and 
left.  On  the  top  of  one  of  these  great  stones 
stands  the  Church  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Assump- 
tion, or  as  most  generally  called,  Nossa  Senhora 
da  Penha,  founded  by  the  Jesuits  about  1565. 
The  history  of  the  transportation  of  images  from 
European  countries  to  Brazil  and  the  combina- 
tion of  Roman  Catholic  traditions  and  inventions 
with  the  pagan  worship  of  the  Indians  whom  the 
priests  have  sought  to  Romanize  rather  than  to 
Christianize,  would  be  in  a  large  measure  the 
history  of  Brazil  until  wnthin  the  last  fifty  years. 
The  savages  were  awed  by  the  ceremonies  and  by 
the  mysteries  which  were  preached  to  them,  and 
one  may  readily  imagine  the  condition  of  the  peo- 
ple who  have  been  for  three  centuries  under  the 
influence  of  such  superstitions.  Our  efforts  to 
circulate  the  Bible  among  them  met  with  great 
difficulty.  Only  a  very  few  out  of  each  hundred 
of  the  population  could  read,  and  fewer  still  were 
sufficiently  free  from  the  influence  and  dominion 
of  Romanism  to  even  listen  for  a  few  minutes 
to  what  the  colporteur  might  have  to  say  about 
the  Book  of  God.  However,  we  have  several 
times  thoroughly  canvassed  the  city  of  Victoria 
and  extended  the  work  in  every  direction 
throughout  the  province,  and  on  the  whole  a  con- 
siderable number   of   Scriptures   have  been   put 


Ii6  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

into  the  hands  of  the  people.  The  reading  of  the 
Word  has  awakened  in  some  a  desire  to  know 
more  of  the  way  of  salvation  and  at  different 
times  missionaries  have  been  invited  to  establish 
work  in  Victoria  and  other  places.  A  few  visits 
have  been  made  in  response  to  these  calls,  but  as 
yet  no  one  has  been  able  to  establish  any  per- 
manent work.  The  population  being  small  and 
scattered,  the  climate  for  the  most  part  hot  and 
damp,  the  roads  very  rough  and  difficult,  the 
means  of  travel  and  transportation  meagre,  and 
the  people  generally  backward  and  indifferent,  it 
may  not  be  surprising  that  the  missionaries  have 
established  themselves  in  more  populous  and  in- 
viting sections.  Our  colporteurs  still  continue  to 
make  their  journeys  among  the  people  and  leave 
with  them  every  time  copies  of  the  Scriptures, 
hoping  that  some  souls  may  find  the  light  and 
that  by  and  by  the  mission  work  of  the  churches 
may  extend  into  this  State  also.  On  one  occa- 
sion one  who  had  spent  several  months  labouring 
amidst  the  difficulties  of  that  section,  wrote  me 
as  follows :  "  I  have  been  sick,  but  have  not  on 
that  account  ceased  working.  I  have  gone 
through  sunshine  and  rain  selling  Bibles,  Testa- 
m.ents,  and  Gospels.  I  was  in  the  State  of  Es- 
pirito  Santo  where  I  sold  a  number  of  books. 
The  people  are  ignorant  but  not  fanatical.  The 
priest  of  Sao  Lourengo  did  all  he  could  to  per- 
suade those  who  had  bought  Bibles  to  tear  them 


Overland  to  Bahia  117 

up  and  burn  them;  and  even  tried  this  with  a 
poor  man  to  whom  I  had  given  a  book,  because 
he  desired  to  read  it  and  had  no  money  to  pay 
for  it."  This  same  man  in  one  month's  time  had 
sold  seventy-two  Bibles,  fifty-one  New  Testa- 
ments, and  sixty  Gospels. 

Some  thousands  of  German  and  other  colonists 
have  settled  in  the  province  of  Espirito  Santo, 
Some  of  them  have  prospered  and  are  still  doing 
well ;  the  progress  of  others  has  been  retarded  by 
want  of  roads,  the  unfavorable  nature  of  the  soil 
and  the  climate.  In  the  year  1890  a  German  col- 
porteur spent  three  months  visiting  the  colo- 
nists ;  he  had  large  sales  and  was  greatly  encour- 
aged in  his  work,  and  has  since  made  another 
successful  canvass  of  those  communities.  Many 
of  these  colonists  are  Protestant,  and  their  pres- 
ence has  had  a  somewhat  enlightening  and  liber- 
alizing influence  am.ong  the  few  Brazilians.  Prot- 
estant worship  has  been  greatly  neglected,  but 
the  younger  generation  furnish  a  fruitful  field 
for  missionary  effort,  and  through  them  access 
may  be  had  to  the  Brazilian  element  of  society 
round  about. 

Two  of  our  colporteurs  in  the  year  1898  visited 
the  interior  of  Espirito  Santo,  and  reported  en- 
couraging sales  notwithstanding  the  bitter  oppo- 
sition of  the  priests.  The  style  of  argument 
found  most  effective  in  dealing  with  the  oppo- 
sition they  described  as  follows : 


1 1 8  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

1.  Which  is  the  most  important,  the  Word  of 
God  or  the  word  of  the  padre.  Generally  the 
answer  was :    "  The  Word  of  God." 

2.  If  the  Bible  is  incorrect  and  false  why  do 
not  your  priests  produce  and  distribute  a  true 
and  correct  edition?    No  reply. 

3.  Why  do  not  your  priests  take  the  trouble 
to  explain  wherein  they  are  false,  and  prove  by 
comparison  and  otherwise  that  they  are  so?  Si- 
lence. 

But  more  effective  still  was  their  testimony  as 
to  what  the  Word  of  God  had  accomplished  for 
them  individually. 

As  they  left  the  railroad  behind  they  met  many 
people  who  did  not  know  what  the  Bible  was. 
One  asked  if  they  wrote  it  themselves.  Another 
wanted  to  know  if  it  was  a  religious  book,  or  if 
it  was  against  religion.  One  man  said  he  be- 
lieved it  was  "  positivisto,"  while  in  another  case 
a  sale  was  effected  only  after  assurance  that  the 
book  was  not  "  republicano."  There  were  of 
course,  exceptions.  One  man  in  Bicudos,  had  a 
Testament,  and  in  the  same  place  there  was  a 
poor  old  school-master,  who  recognized  the  book 
and  desired  to  possess  one,  but  had  not  the  money. 
When  presented  with  a  Testament  he  expressed 
such  gratitude  as  thoroughly  to  convince  them  of 
his  desire  for  light. 

One  interesting  fact  connected  with  the  work 
in  Victoria  is  that  the  Bible  presented  to  the  pub- 
lic  library    (open    every    day    free),    is    placed 


Overland  to  Bahia  119 

upon  the  reading  table  so  as  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  all  who  visit  the  place.  This  same  library 
takes  two  evangelical  papers. 

In  1 89 1,  I  made  a  long  mule-back  journey 
northward  through  the  centre  of  the  State  of 
Espirito  Santo  into  the  State  of  Bahia.  My  com- 
panions for  the  journey  were  the  colporteurs  Sr. 
Leopoldina  da  Costa  and  Sr.  Antonio  Marques, 
a  young  man  just  starting  in  the  work;  the  for- 
mer was  a  man  of  considerable  experience. 
Starting  from  Ouro  Preto  we  visited  a  gold  mine 
at  Passagem.  The  Englishmen  in  charge  re- 
ceived us  kindly  and  were  very  courteous.  There 
were  about  five  hundred  men  at  work,  crushing 
on  an  average  of  four  thousand  tons  of  stone  per 
month,  from  which  they  extracted  about  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  pounds  of  gold.  In  all  the  re- 
gion round  about  Ouro  Preto  and  Passagem  are 
to  be  seen  the  remains  of  once  very  extensive  gold 
mining  enterprises. 

About  the  year  1699  an  explorer  through  this 
region  discovered  gold  in  the  Rio  Vermelho  ( Red 
River)  and  the  miners  soon  thereafter  built  a 
village,  which  by  a  royal  letter  from  D.  Joao  V. 
dated  April  23,  1745,  was  raised  to  the  rank  of 
a  city,  with  the  name  Marianna,  in  honour  of  the 
Austrian  princess  who  sat  upon  the  throne  of 
Portugal.  As  we  entered  this  town  of  Marianna, 
every  thing  presented  an  old  and  dilapidated  ap- 
pearance, the  streets  being  very  rough  and  badly 
paved,  with  grass  and  weeds  growing  between 


I20  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

the  stones.  Many  of  the  houses  and  some  of  the 
churches  were  apparently  in  ruins.  The  dullness 
of  the  place  was  evidence  that  we  were  in  a  cleri- 
cal and  not  a  commercial  city.  This  is  the  seat 
of  one  of  the  old  and  famous  Bishoprics  of 
Brazil.  There  are  now  nine  churches,  the  sem- 
inary and  Bishop's  residence,  in  this  small  place 
of  a  few  thousand  inhabitants.  A  considerable 
number  of  students  for  the  priesthood  (big  black 
ants,  as  they  are  here  sometimes  called),  strolled 
through  the  streets  and  hung  listlessly  about  the 
shops  and  little  stores.  The  storekeepers  leaning 
with  their  elbows  over  the  counters,  looked  va- 
cantly into  the  streets  or  sat  on  stools  smoking 
cigarettes.  A  number  of  old  negro  women  and 
other  beggars  wandered  along  the  streets,  pick- 
ing up  rags  and  asking  alms ;  many  children  were 
seen  about  the  doors  while  others  were  playing 
with  the  pigs  and  dogs.  The  priests  were  numer- 
ous, and  occasionally  we  saw  elegantly  dressed 
men  and  women  of  refinement  and  education.  In 
this  town  also  is  a  girls'  school,  or  convent,  con- 
ducted by  the  Sisters  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paulo. 
A  traveller  who  had  visited  and  investigated  a 
number  of  these  girls'  schools,  wrote  in  regard 
to  this  one  at  Marianna.  ^'  After  a  course  of  six 
or  eight  years'  study,  the  girl  *  comes  out '  in  a 
peculiar  state  of  ignorance,  and  supplied  with  cer- 
tain remarkable  superstitions  and  ascetic  ideas, 
such  as  dislike  to  society,  aspirations  to  the  life 
of  a  '  religious,'  which  in  a  young  country  like 


Overland  to  Bahia  121 

Brazil,  cannot  be  too  strongly  deprecated,  and  a 
predilection  for  penance  and  mortification  which 
everywhere  should  be  obsolete.  Of  this  house  it 
is  said  an  orphan  girl,  one  of  the  pupils,  when 
called  upon  to  sign  her  name,  could  not  write. 
This  latter  assertion  is  said  to  have  been  pub- 
lished in  an  official  paper,  and  led  to  investiga- 
tions, the  results  of  which  astonished  the  Bra- 
zilian people." 

As  we  went  about  the  streets,  offering  the 
Word  of  God,  we  met  two  English  families  who 
had  drifted  into  the  town  from  among  the  miners. 
One  woman,  who  longed  to  get  back  to  old  Eng- 
land, had  one  child  in  Africa,  one  in  the  United 
States,  one  in  Australia,  and  two  here  in  Brazil. 
The  story  of  her  life  and  her  present  circum- 
stances away  here  in  the  mountainous  mining 
region  of  Brazil  among  strangers,  was  a  most 
pathetic  one.  We  were  glad  to  read  to  her  com- 
forting messages  from  the  Word  of  God  and  pray 
with  her. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day,  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Morro  Agua  Quente  (Hill  of  Hot 
Water),  I  met  an  old  man  who  had  had  a  Bible 
for  ten  years.  He  invited  me  into  his  humble 
little  hut  and  we  had  a  most  precious  time  to- 
gether talking  of  the  wonderful  things  revealed 
in  that  book.  He  had  heard  of  this  wonder- 
ful book's  being  sold  in  the  city  of  Rio  de  Ja- 
neiro, and  when  a  merchant  from  his  village  was 
going  to  lay  in  his  annual  stock  of  goods,  he  asked 


122  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

him  to  buy  a  Bible  for  him.  It  was  marvellous 
to  find  a  man,  who  had  lived  all  his  life  in  the 
midst  of  such  superstition  and  idolatry  as 
abounded  in  that  section,  so  well  instructed  in  the 
Word.  He  had  never  heard  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel,  but  had  been  taught  of  the  Spirit  the 
truth  of  which  he  had  been  reading. 

Just  at  sunset  I  wandered  outside  the  village 
and  saw  a  number  of  women  who  had  come  to 
fill  their  waterpots  from  one  of  the  small  streams 
that  dash  down  the  mountain  side.  I  noticed  that 
they  all  carried  small  pebbles  or  pieces  of  stone 
in  their  jars,  which  they  would  carefully  take  out 
and  put  in  again  after  washing  the  pots.  To  my 
inquiry,  one  of  them  replied  that  these  stones 
were  from  Our  Lady  of  the  Grotto,  and  were 
kept  in  the  pots  to  purify  the  water.  They  all 
seemed  to  believe  firmly  that  no  one  would  ever 
get  sick  from  drinking  the  water  so  long  as  one 
of  these  little  stones  was  kept  in  the  vessel.  I 
found  upon  further  investigation  that  in  the 
mountain  side  near  by  was  a  natural  grotto  dedi- 
cated to  Our  Lady,  and  that  the  stalactites 
broken  therefrom  were  believed  to  possess  mir- 
aculous virtues.  When  one  of  the  women  was 
asked  if  she  would  sell  one  of  the  stones,  she 
seemed  quite  horrified  at  the  idea,  but  said  she 
would  exchange  it  for  any  small  amount.  It  is 
considered  a  great  sin  to  sell  any  of  the  miracle- 
working  objects,  saints,  images,  etc.,  but  they  are 
very  freely  exchanged  for  money;  a  distinction 


Overland  to  Bahia 


123 


without  a  difference.  One  great  objection  the 
priests  make  to  our  Bible  work  is,  that  if  we  do 
chance  to  have  the  Word  of  God,  we  are  com- 
mitting the  great  sin  of  making  merchandise  of  it. 
I  obtained  the  use  of  a  little  schoolhouse  and 
preached  that  night  to  the  man  who  had  the 
Bible,  his  family  and  a  number  of  friends. 

At  the  next  neighbouring  village  I  called  on  the 
priest,  with  whom  I  had  a  long  conversation. 
He  very  vigorously  defended  the  worship  of 
saints  and  the  supposed  miracle-working  virtues 
of  the  stones  and  water  from  the  grotto  near  by ; 
but  before  we  parted,  he  admitted  that  the  doc- 
trine of  salvation  alone  by  faith  in  Christ  seemed 
most  reasonable  and  likely  to  be  true. 

The  town  of  Santa  Barbara,  including  the  out- 
lying district,  has  a  population  of  about  two 
thousand,  but  the  people  seemed  the  most  fear- 
fully priest-ridden  and  superstitious  that  we  had 
met  with  on  the  journey.  In  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity is  a  mountain  rising  some  five  thousand  feet, 
but  the  grandeur  and  magnificence  of  the  wonders 
of  nature  have  been  by  the  priest  converted  into 
great  mysteries,  and  objects  of  superstitious 
adoration;  the  people  have  been  taught  to  wor- 
ship the  creature  rather  than  the  Creator.  We 
often  quoted  Ps.  121,  i,  2,  and  prayed  that  the 
people  might  learn  this  truth.  We  sold  a  few 
copies  of  the  Scriptures  in  each  town  and  vil- 
lage visited  and  occasionally  one  by  the  wayside. 
Judged   in   the  light   of  our   special  work,   we 


124  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

would  say  that  fanaticism,  ignorance  and  poverty 
characterize  the  people  of  that  section  of  the 
country.  When  offered  the  Scriptures,  the  most 
general  reply  was :  "  I  don't  know  how  to  read." 
The  next  was :  "  This  is  a  false  Bible  and  a  bad 
book,  and  we  can't  read  it  unless  our  priest  tells 
us  we  may,"  and  a  few  would  reply :  "  I  have  no 
money."  The  last  was  the  objection  offered  by 
the  fewest  persons  and  was  most  easily  met,  for 
we  never  fail  under  such  circumstances,  to  sup- 
ply all  who  are  desirous  of  reading  the  Bible. 
The  second  objection  furnished  ground  for  con- 
versation and  argument,  and  many  times  the  fa- 
natical and  superstitious  were  persuaded  to  buy 
and  read  the  words  of  light  and  salvation. 
But  what  could  one,  whose  special  business  it  is 
to  offer  to  the  people  the  printed  book,  say  in  the 
f?ce  of  inability  to  read? 

After  we  had  crossed  over  a  hill  and  entered 
a  beautiful  valley,  leaving  the  mountains  out  of 
sight,  we  came  to  a  small  village;  the  priest  had 
already  heard  of  our  coming  and  had  warned  the 
people  against  us.  He  told  the  people  that  a 
Protestant  was  one  who  protested  against  the 
Catholic  Church.  Many  in  consequence  of  this 
would  not  come  near  or  hear  what  we  had  to  say, 
having  been  taught  that  we  did  not  believe  in  God, 
worshipped  devils,  etc. 

We  travelled  for  several  days  through  a  hilly 
section  of  country,  visiting  villages  and  country 
settlements;  leaving  here  and  there  copies  of  the 


Overland  to  Bahia 


125 


Word  and  talking  with  many  of  Jesus  and  his 
salvation.  At  one  village  a  large  number  of 
women  attended  the  preaching,  a  very  unusual 
occurrence.  The  audience  was  so  attentive  and 
orderly,  and  seemed  so  delighted  with  the  sing- 
ing that  I  ventured  to  try  to  teach  them  two  or 
three  little  choruses.  The  next  morning  early  as 
we  were  saddling  our  mules  for  the  day's  journey, 
I  heard  two  sweet  voices  from  a  little  mud  hut 
on  a  hillside  above  the  village  singing  one  of  the 
choruses,  the  sense  of  which  was :  "  I  am  certain 
that  Jesus  died  for  me."  The  hills  round  about 
echoed  the  sweet  strains  and  the  villagers  listened 
in  amazement,  wondering  what  it  all  meant.  For 
the  next  two  or  three  days  our  journey  was 
through  a  rough  section  of  country,  where  many 
of  the  hills  were  covered  with  white  pebbles  or 
small  stones,  which  in  the  distance  looked  like 
snow.  The  next  place  of  importance  visited  was 
Conceigao  (Conception)  ;  the  population  of  the 
town  and  its  immediate  surroundings  is  about 
6,000,  while  that  of  the  municipal  district  is 
45,000.  I  found  the  president  of  the  town  coun- 
cil to  be  a  very  liberal  minded  man,  having  been 
a  member  of  the  constituent  assembly  in  the 
formation  of  the  Republic.  The  recent  separa- 
tion of  Church  and  State  had  made  a  deep  im- 
pression in  that  section,  and  many  were  ready  to 
hear  the  Gospel  and  buy  Bibles.  On  Saturday 
the  weekly  mails  arrived  from  the  railroad,  hav- 
ing  been   brought   on   horse-back    several    days 


126  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

journey.  A  large  proportion  of  the  men  of  the 
town  were  gathered  around  the  post-office  while 
the  postmaster  called  in  a  loud  voice  the  name  on 
each  letter  and  paper.  While  this  distribution  of 
the  mail  was  going  on,  one  of  the  colporteurs  got 
into  the  crowd  and  began  to  offer  the  Bible  and 
talk  about  the  Gospel  to  them.  Presently  the 
priest  of  the  town  appeared  and  began  to  con- 
demn the  book  as  a  false  Bible  and  warned  the 
people  not  to  buy.  The  colporteur  challenged 
him  to  prove  the  falsity  of  his  Bibles.  The  crowd 
grew  much  interested  and  excited.  Finally  the 
postmaster  requested  the  priest  and  the  colpor- 
teur to  retire  from  the  small  room  to  give  way 
for  those  coming  for  their  mail.  The  priest  ad- 
mitted that  the  only  way  to  verify  his  accusation 
was  to  compare  our  Bibles  with  a  Bible  approved 
by  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  The  colporteur 
then  proposed  that  they  go  to  his  house  as  he  had 
such  a  Bible;  some  forty  or  fifty  men  followed 
them,  curious  to  see  what  would  happen.  They 
began  by  comparing  passage  by  passage  in  the 
two  Bibles,  and  much  to  the  confusion  of  the 
priest,  they  were  found  to  be  the  same  in  sub- 
stance, though  there  were  slight  differences  now 
and  then  in  the  language.  During  the  discussion 
several  men  exclaimed :  "  The  young  man  (the 
colporteur),  knows  more  about  the  priest's  Bible 
than  he  does  himself."  It  was  a  great  victory  for 
our  cause.  The  colporteur  in  a  few  minutes  sold 
all  the  Bibles  he  had  on  hand  and  returned  for 


Overland  to  Bahia  127 

more.  We  were  all  kept  busy  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  day  talking  with  interested  per- 
sons and  supplying  those  who  desired  to  buy.  I 
applied  to  the  mayor,  or  president  of  the  town 
council,  for  the  use  of  the  town  hall  for  preach- 
ing on  Sunday.  He  gave  me  his  card :  "  Costa 
Senna,  Deputado  ao  Congresse  Federal  e  Presi- 
dente  da  Intendencia,"  and  wrote  an  order  to 
''  Place  the  town  hall  at  the  disposition  of  Mr. 
Tucker  and  the  ministers  of  whatever  worship." 
Many  persons  thought  we  would  have  been  re- 
fused, since  the  president  of  the  council  was  the 
son  of  the  vicar  of  the  town,  the  same  with  whom 
the  young  colporteur  had  had  the  discussion. 
Such  instances  are  numbered  by  the  hundreds  in 
Brazil.  This  gentleman.  Dr.  Costa  Senna,  now 
vice-governor  of  the  State  of  Minas  Geraes,  not 
only  gave  permission  to  use  the  town  hall,  but 
came  himself  and  heard  the  preaching.  At  the 
hour  marked  for  preaching  on  Sunday,  the  large 
town  hall  was  filled  with  men  curious  to  see  and 
hear.  I  read  them  the  story  of  Philip  and  the 
Eunuch,  and,  following  Philip's  example, 
preached  unto  them  Jesus.  Many  of  them  had 
bought  Bibles  and  were  reading;  the  question  I 
pressed  upon  each  was ;  ''  Understandest  thou 
what  thou  readest  ?  "  After  the  sermon  about 
twenty  men  remained  to  talk  with  us  and  to  in- 
quire further  concerning  the  truth  of  the  wonder- 
ful book.  As  we  came  down  from  the  hall,  I 
noticed  that  the  jail  was  in  the  basement  of  the 


128  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

building,  and  that  a  number  of  prisoners  were 
gazing  at  us  through  iron  bars.  We  turned  aside 
and  preached  to  them  Jesus,  the  Great  Deliverer, 
and  sang  a  few  hymns.  About  sunset  as  I  was 
walking  along  in  front  of  a  row  of  small  thatch- 
roofed,  mud  huts,  I  saw  a  young  man  in  one  of 
them  reading  the  Gospel  of  Mark;  he  asked  if  I 
had  the  Gospel  of  St.  John.  As  we  continued  talk- 
ing, a  number  of  persons  gathered  in  the  street 
and  I  preached  to  them  for  some  minutes,  Christ 
and  his  love.  At  night  a  number  sought  us  that 
they  might  hear  more  of  the  wonderful  things 
in  the  Book  of  God.  When  we  had  finished  our 
work  on  Monday,  and  were  taking  up  our 
journey  for  other  sections,  I  felt  an  intense  desire 
to  remain  and  follow  up  the  awakening. 

Two  days  later  we  visited  a  small  village  of 
very  poor  people.  The  village  postmaster  had  a 
Bible  that  he  had  secured  a  year  or  two  before 
in  another  section  of  the  country,  and  he  gave 
evidence  of  having  read  and  studied  the  Word 
to  good  profit.  The  villagers  looked  upon  him 
as  really  a  wonderful  man.  What  made  him  great 
among  them  was  his  knowledge  of  the  book  and 
his  consistent  daily  life. 

In  the  town  of  Serro,  which  has  only  a  few 
thousand  inhabitants,  though  the  entire  county, 
divided  into  twelve  districts,  has  a  population  of 
about  75,000,  a  liberal  minded  lawyer  oflfered  his 
parlour  for  preaching,  and  at  night,  notwithstand- 


Overland  to  Bahia  129 

ing  the  pouring  rain,  we  had  quite  a  respectable 
number  to  hear  for  the  first  time  the  Gospel. 
During  the  day  I  met  a  man  who  had  been  read- 
ing the  Bible  for  some  time.  His  name  was  Cor- 
nelius and  he  seemed  to  be  a  ''  devout  man,  and 
one  that  feared  God  with  all  his  house."  They 
received  me  gladly  and  I  perceived  that  "  God  is 
no  respecter  of  persons;  but  in  every  nation  he 
that  feareth  him,  and  worketh  righteousness,  is 
accepted  with  him,"  so  this  humble  man,  living 
in  this  far  interior  town,  never  having  heard 
the  voice  of  one  of  God's  messengers,  but  with 
the  Bible  for  his  guide,  had  found  the  way  of  sal- 
vation. He  was  glad  to  buy  Bibles  for  each  of  his 
three  married  children  and  those  yet  at  home  who 
could  not  read.  In  the  spirit  of  that  other  Cor- 
nelius, who  ''  called  together  his  kinsmen  and 
near  friends  "  that  they  might  hear  from  Peter 
all  things  that  were  commanded  him  of  God,  he 
came  the  next  morning  early  and  bought  five 
Bibles  to  send  to  friends  who  lived  outside  the 
town.  He  and  his  wife  were  most  grateful  for 
the  visit  and  for  the  opportunity  of  learning  some- 
thing more  of  the  way  of  truth.  While  they 
were  so  happy  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures 
and  were  rejoicing  in  the  good  work  being  done 
that  day,  the  priest  of  the  town  was  busy  in  his 
eflforts  to  destroy  every  copy  of  the  Word  we  had 
sold,  and  was  most  bitter  in  his  denunciation  of 
us  and  our  books.     A  few  of  the  weaker  ones 


130  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

gave  up  to  him  their  books  to  be  destroyed,  but 
many  seemed  determined  to  hold  on  to  them  and 
to  read  them. 

From  this  town  our  journey  lay  through  a 
hilly,  rocky,  barren  section  of  what  was  once  a 
famous  and  rich  diam.ond  district,  about  3,500  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  to  the  city  of  Diaman- 
tina.  The  crown  of  Portugal  laid  claim  to  all 
such  wealth,  and  there  was  marked  out  in  this 
district  an  almost  circular  section  about  fourteen 
leagues  in  diameter  that  was  long  known  as  the 
**  Forbidden  District  of  the  Diamond."  This  city 
is  the  seat  of  a  Roman  Catholic  Bishopric,  and 
has  a  small  Catholic  seminary.  It  is  a  great  com- 
mercial centre  for  all  that  interior  mountainous 
region,  and  was  for  many  years  a  prosperous  dia- 
mond and  gold  market.  More  recently  smaller 
industries  have  sprung  up  in  the  region  round 
about  as  the  production  of  diamonds  and  gold 
has  decreased.  One  government  school  of  some 
importance  and  several  smaller  schools  are  main- 
tained in  the  city. 

As  we  approached  the  town  on  a  Friday  after- 
noon, weary  and  worn  with  the  two  weeks'  jour- 
ney on  muleback,  I  was  much  impressed  with  the 
seeming  poverty  and  ignorance  on  every  hand. 
Every  effort  to  get  lodging  in  the  city  failed  but 
we  found  shelter  in  a  ranch  outside  the  tower.  I 
inquired  of  our  host  how  it  was  that  we  were 
unable  to  obtain  lodging  in  any  of  the  little  hotels, 
and  could  not  even  rent  one  of  the  small  houses 


Overland  to  Bahia 


131 


that  stood  vacant  about  the  place.  He  informed 
me  that  the  bishop  and  priests  had  heard  of  our 
coming  and  had  warned  the  people  against  us, 
threatening  to  excommunicate  any  one  who  would 
give  us  shelter.  We  then  began  to  realize  that 
our  efforts  to  circulate  the  Scriptures  there  would 
be  attended  with  great  difficulties  and  much  op- 
position. We  had  a  comfortable  night's  rest 
under  the  shed,  and  early  the  next  morning,  after 
prayer  together,  the  two  colporteurs  and  I  started 
to  our  work.  I  went  first  to  visit  the  civil  au- 
thorities and  explain  to  them  the  object  of  our 
mission,  and  to  obtain  permission  to  sell  our 
books.  I  was  received  politely  by  the  president 
of  the  town  council,  who  bore  the  illustrious  name 
of  Nelson.  He  belonged  to  the  new  order  of 
things  and  was  desirous  that  the  New  Republic, 
not  yet  two  years  old,  should  be  well  represented 
in  his  town  for  liberty  and  freedom,  hence  he  gave 
permission  to  canvass  the  town  without  a  license, 
and  assured  me  of  protection  should  any  trouble 
arise.  He  seemed  to  be  fully  aware  of  the  oppo- 
sition and  possible  persecution  that  we  might  en- 
counter. Later  in  the  conversation,  I  asked  if  it 
would  be  possible  to  obtain  the  use  of  the  town 
hall  for  preaching  on  the  following  day,  Sunday. 
He  was  somewhat  disturbed  by  this  request  and 
seemed  to  think  this  was  asking  too  much. 
Finally  I  referred  to  the  senator  in  the  Federal 
Government  from  that  district,  to  whom  refer- 
ence has  above  been  made,  and  showed  him  the 


132  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

card  by  which  he  placed  the  town  hall  in  Con- 
ceigao  at  my  disposal.  He  was  inclined  to  follow 
the  example  of  this  leader,  but  thought  it  wise  to 
first  consult  the  council ;  he  promised  me  a  reply 
in  the  afternoon.  By  and  by  I  returned  to  the 
ranch  to  meet  the  colporteurs  for  breakfast. 
They  came  in  much  discouraged,  said  they  had 
never  met  with  such  opposition  anywhere.  After 
breakfast  we  prayed  together  and  determined  on 
further  efifort.  A  few  persons  came  near  and 
looked  upon  us,  sneering  and  calling  us  "  devils." 
Now  and  then  we  found  one  with  whom  we  could 
converse  a  little.  As  we  went  about  the  streets, 
the  people  called  us  anti-Christ,  and  made  the 
sign  of  the  cross  to  protect  themselves  from  the 
evil  spirits  which  they  supposed  were  in  us :  many 
turned  their  backs  on  us,  others  rushed  in  and 
shut  their  doors  as  we  passed  along  the  street. 
When  the  afternoon  came,  the  two  colporteurs 
were  so  thoroughly  discouraged  and  alarmed  for 
fear  of  some  violence  that  they  begged  that  we 
gather  up  our  animals  and  leave  the  place.  I 
felt  constrained  to  remain  and  see  if  God  would 
not  open  some  door  for  us.  Late  in  the  afternoon 
a  message  came  from  the  president  of  the  town 
council  saying  that  the  hall  would  be  placed  at 
my  orders  for  a  public  conference.  I  received 
this  news  with  mingled  joy  and  fear.  Presently 
about  twenty  young  students  for  the  priesthood, 
all  dressed  in  the  long  black  gowns,  marched  by 
sneering  and  making  all  manner  of  remarks  about 


Overland  to  Bahia  133 

the  Protestant  devils.  As  the  night  came  on,  a 
few  men  led  by  curiosity  came  near  and  inquired 
what  we  really  did  teach. 

Sunday  we  arose  to  find  the  morning  quite 
gloomy,  a  heavy  mist  and  cloud  having  settled 
down  over  us  during  the  night.  The  colporteurs, 
and  perhaps  I  too,  felt  about  as  gloomy  within  as 
the  atmosphere  was  without.  In  all  my  minis- 
terial life  I  have  never  realized  a  deeper  sense  of 
responsibility  mingled  with  human  fear  than  on 
that  Sunday  morning  as  I  thought  of  meeting 
the  people  who  might  come  to  the  town  hall  to 
hear  what  I  had  to  say.  We  had  inquired  the 
hours  for  mass  in  the  Catholic  Churches,  which 
were  numerous  in  that  small  place,  and  finally 
found  that  one  o'clock  p.  m.  would  be  an  hour 
when  the  people  were  free  from  all  engagements. 
The  two  colporteurs  started  early  through  the 
streets  to  distribute  invitations.  ^lany  people  re- 
fused to  accept  from  their  hands  the  little  slips 
of  paper  on  which  the  invitation  was  printed, 
others  took  them  and  tore  them  up  in  great  dis- 
gust, while  others  still  rolled  them  up  in  little  balls 
and  threw  them  in  great  indignation  at  the  col- 
porteurs. During  this  time  I  was  engaged  in 
prayer  and  an  effort  to  collect  well  in  mind  my 
thoughts  on  the  text,  "  Thou  shalt  worship  the 
Lord  thy  God  and  him  only  shalt  thou  serve." 
The  reports  the  men  brought  back  were  not  well 
calculated  to  relieve,  inspire  or  encourage  me.  I 
felt  assured,  however,  that  the  Spirit  was  inclin- 


134  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

ing  my  heart  to  speak  from  that  particular  text, 
and  this  assurance  comforted  me.  The  Mariol- 
atry,  the  image  and  cross  worship  of  the  place 
were  appalling.  Hundreds  literally  kissed  and 
worshipped  the  numerous  crosses  that  stood  on 
the  corners  of  the  streets  and  in  front  of  the 
churches.  The  noise  of  church  bells  and  the  ex- 
plosion of  fire-rockets  filled  the  air  constantly. 
As  the  hour  for  preaching  drew  near,  the  sense 
of  responsibility  increased,  as  did  also  the  sweet 
assurance  of  the  Spirit's  presence  within  my 
heart.  When  we  reached  the  town  hall  we  found 
about  four  or  five  hundred  men  and  women  stand- 
ing as  thickly  jammed  as  they  could  be  in  the 
two  large  rooms,  with  a  double  door  opening  be- 
tween. I  had  never  stood  before  so  large  an 
audience  of  really  curious  hearers :  apparently 
there  was  not  one  serious  inquirer  in  all  the  com- 
pany :  many  were  ready  for  fun  and  ridicule, 
while  others  might  even  show  violence.  For  an 
hour  and  more,  aided  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  I  tried 
to  talk  to  them  out  of  the  sacred  Scriptures  of 
real  spiritual  worship  and  service  to  the  true  and 
living  God  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  Curi- 
osity soon  changed  into  serious  attention.  The 
Spirit  gave  me  liberty,  my  fears  subsided,  my 
heart  warmed,  and  I  was  conscious  of  a  power 
given  me  from  on  high  which  I  had  seldom  or 
never  felt  in  my  ministry.  Before  I  was  through 
speaking,  the  change  on  the  faces  of  my  hearers 
was  so  marked  that  at  times  I  could  scarcely  re- 


Overland  to  Bahia 


135 


frain  from  remarking  on  it;  all  were  seriously 
thinking  and  some  were  moved  to  tears.  At  the 
close  many  inquired  how  it  was  possible  for  me 
to  preach  such  things  when  their  bishop  and 
priests  had  said  that  we  Protestants  worshipped 
devils,  and  distributed  a  book  full  of  lies.  I  stated 
publicly  that  these  truths  which  I  had  spoken 
were  in  the  Bible,  the  book  they  had  despised  and 
rejected  the  day  before;  and  that  I  was  now 
questioning  in  my  own  mind  if  we  should  make 
further  effort  to  let  them  have  it:  however,  I 
said,  they  could  go  to  our  ranch  if  they  desired 
copies.  In  most  perfect  order  and  in  great  seri- 
ousness, they  all  retired.  On  the  way  back  to  our 
room,  some  boys,  sent  by  a  priest  to  hide  around 
a  corner,  gave  us  quite  a  stoning.  I  tried  to  catch 
one  of  the  boys,  who  in  the  struggle  to  get  away, 
fell  into  a  ditch  about  six  feet  deep :  his  screams 
and  fears  were  such,  as  I  tried  to  help  him  out, 
that  I  was  forced  to  call  in  another  man  to  rescue 
him.     Thus  ended  the   stoning. 

Quite  a  number  of  men  came  asking  for  Bibles. 
It  did  not  seem  right  even  under  these  circum- 
stances to  sell  Bibles  on  Sunday,  so  I  asked  them 
to  come  back  early  on  Monday  morning.  This 
gave  us  occasion  to  talk  for  a  long  time  and  read 
the  Word  to  many.  Early  next  morning  a  num- 
ber of  persons  came  to  buy  Bibles,  and  during  the 
next  few  days  we  sold  many  copies  through  the 
streets  and  in  private  houses.  The  change  that 
had  come  over  many  of  the  people  was  wonder- 


136  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

ful,  but  the  priests  and  others  were  indignant  and 
really  desired  to  do  violence  to  us.  I  stood  at  the 
door  of  a  small  house  offering  the  man  a  Bible, 
and  was  astonished  to  hear  his  little  ten  year  old 
girl,  who  was  much  excited,  say  to  me,  "  Go  to 
hell  with  your  book."  The  same  spirit  was  shown 
by  others,  and  utterance  was  frequently  given  to 
similar  sentiments.  However  we  had  a  glorious 
work  for  those  two  days  in  reading  and  explain- 
ing the  Word,  talking  with  interested  inquirers, 
and  selling  Bibles.  I  secured  the  town  hall  for  a 
second  preaching  service  at  five  p.  m.,  Tuesday 
afternoon.  About  an  hour  before  the  time,  the 
rain  began  to  pour  down  and  continued  until  after 
six  o'clock :  but  notwithstanding  the  rain,  about 
150  persons  assembled  to  hear.  The  audience 
was  attentive  and  deeply  interested.  At  the 
close  a  young  man  with  whom  we  had  talked 
much,  and  who  had  been  partly  educated  in  a 
Presbyterian  school  in  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo, 
asked  permission  to  say  a  word.  The  audience 
desired  to  hear  him.  He  then  and  there  declared 
publicly  that  he  was  a  Protestant,  and  said  that 
only  Protestants  were  true  Christians.  A  number 
agreed  with  him,  causing  a  great  commotion, 
and  many  of  the  more  devout  Catholics  protested, 
saying  that  only  Apostolic  Roman  Catholics  were 
Christians.  We  had  a  most  exciting  time  for 
nearly  half  an  hour,  but  finally  all  quieted  down. 
These  were  four  eventful  days  full  of  intense 
excitement.     Only  eternity  will   reveal  the   full 


Overland  to  Bahia 


137 


results  of  this  our  first  effort  to  place  the  precious 
treasure  of  God's  Word  in  the  hands  of  the  dwel- 
lers in  that  region  of  diamonds. 

I  was  much  impressed  with  the  style  of  archi- 
tecture of  a  large  new  church  standing  on  an 
elevation.  In  exterior  form  it  was  a  model  of 
the  beautiful  stone  church  built  by  the  Methodist 
Mission  in  Rio  de  Janeiro.  Upon  inquiry  I 
learned  that  the  architect  had  modelled  it  after  the 
Methodist  church;  and  to  me  it  was  a  striking 
coincidence  that  this  Catholic  building,  modelled 
after  a  Protestant  church,  was  the  first  one  I  had 
seen  in  Brazil  with  an  inscription  over  the  door 
honouring  Christ,  these  inscriptions  generally 
being  to  the  Virgin  Mary  or  some  saint. 


VI 
Bahia 

"  AWAY    WITH    THE    HERETICS  " A    DISCOMFITED 

PRIEST ''  THE  AFRICA  OF  BRAZIL  " A  CHAR- 
ACTERISTIC CITY HENRY  MARTYN — BURN- 
ING  BIBLES. 

WE  had  started  out  to  make  the  journey 
to  Bahia  overland,  but  it  now  became 
necessary  to  turn  aside  from  the  most 
direct  route  and  make  our  way  over  400  miles  to 
the  seacoast  in  order  to  get  a  fresh  supply  of 
Scriptures.  Almost  the  entire  distance  lay 
through  a  region  that  had  never  been  visited  by 
colporteur  or  Protestant  missionary.  As  we  de- 
scended the  Serra,  we  travelled  for  a  time  through 
a  section  where  diamond  mining  had  once  been  a 
lucrative  pursuit;  but  now  the  inhabitants  were 
for  the  most  part  poor,  and  many  of  them  igno- 
rant and  superstitious.  When  we  had  reached 
the  lower  lands  and  valleys  nearer  to  the  seacoast, 
the  soil  was  feitile  and  the  people  far  more  pros- 
perous. 

After  four  days'  travel  from  Diamantina,  we 
came  to  the  town  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  located 
in  a  narrow  valley  near  the  head  waters  of  an 
138 


Bahia  139 

eastern  tributary  of  the  Jequitinhonha  river.  The 
town  and  suburbs  has  a  population  of  about 
6,000  souls.  We  reached  the  place  early  in  the 
afternoon,  and  began  at  once  a  canvass  of  the 
town.  In  a  very  few  minutes  the  whole  place 
seemed  wild  with  excitement,  and  there  was 
every  indication  that  the  people  intended  doing 
some  violence  to  us.  A  great  crowd  gathered  in 
the  public  square,  and  had  we  been  disposed  to 
try  to  get  away,  escape  would  have  been  impos- 
sible. The  two  colporteurs  stood  firm  and  showed 
wonderful  courage  in  the  midst  of  so  many 
threats.  Presently  the  priest  came  out  and  began 
to  speak :  all  quieted  down  for  a  moment.  He 
then  read  a  letter  from  the  Bishop  of  Diamantina, 
in  which  he  warned  the  people  against  us  and  our 
false  Bibles,  and  said  we  ought  not  to  be  allowed 
to  stop  in  the  place.  This  added  fuel  to  the  fire, 
and  the  people  began  to  cry,  "  Away  with  these 
heretics,  kill  them,  kill  them."  Many  armed 
themselves  with  sticks  and  stones  and  guns.  One 
man  standing  in  a  doorway,  raised  his  gun  as 
though  to  fire  the  first  shot.  Just  then  one  of  the 
colporteurs  asked  for  a  word  more  before  they 
proceeded  to  put  us  to  death.  He  said  we  had 
come  to  them  on  a  mission  of  love  and  mercy,  to 
bring  them  the  book  telling  of  Jesus's  love  for 
them,  and  how  he  died  to  save  men,  that  we  had 
done  them  no  harm,  and  moreover,  if  they 
were  determined  to  kill  us,  we  were  ready  to  die 
for  Christ  who  gave  his  life  for  us.    He  further- 


140  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

more  said  that  he  wished  to  show  them  that  our 
Bible  was  not  false,  and  he  challenged  the  priest, 
who  ought  to  have  a  true  Bible,  to  bring  his  out 
and  compare  it  with  ours.  It  appeared  that  the 
priest  did  not  have  a  Bible.  The  colporteur  then 
took  from  my  saddle-bags  a  small  Coimbra  Tes- 
tament, approved  by  the  Roman  Church,  and  of- 
fered to  prove  by  that  that  our  Bible  was  the 
same.  The  priest  cried  out,  "  that  also  is  a  work 
of  the  devil,  and  of  the  Protestants."  One  or 
two  men  who  could  read  were  standing  near: 
they  took  the  Testament  and  read  the  introduc- 
tion, showing  it  to  be  approved  by  the  bishops 
and  Pope.  Brazilians  are  always  easily  convinced 
by  reading  a  thing,  readily  believing  whatever 
they  see  in  print.  In  an  argument,  if  you  can 
show  one  the  chapter  and  paragraph  justifying 
your  statement,  he  succumbs  at  once.  This  ele- 
ment of  Brazilian  character  is  one  thing  that 
gives  the  written  Word  such  an  influence  in 
Brazil.  These  men  at  once  began  to  say  "  the 
priest  is  rejecting  a  book  authorized  by  his  own 
Church ;  "  others  drew  near  and  read  the  same 
words,  and  very  soon  one  man  said,  "  I  want  one 
of  your  Bibles,  and  I  will  see  for  myself  if  it  is 
true."  In  a  few  minutes  they  cried  out  against 
the  priest,  who  was  compelled  to  turn  his  back 
and  retire  from  the  field  of  battle.  Then  one  after 
another  said,  *'  I  want  one  of  your  books,"  and 
in  perhaps  less  than  ten  minutes,  the  thirty-two 
copies  of  the  Scriptures  that  we  had  in  hand  and 


Bahia 


141 


in  our  saddle-bags  were  sold  to  the  crowd,  who 
just  a  few  minutes  before  were  ready  to  beat, 
stone  and  shoot  us.  The  change  was  wonderful : 
it  seemed  a  miracle :  surely  the  hand  of  God  was 
in  it.  We  then  retired  to  the  little  stream  over  a 
hill  just  outside  the  town  where  our  packmules 
were  resting.  One  of  the  men  went  to  buy  pro- 
visions before  we  moved  on,  as  we  learned  that 
we  had  now  to  traverse  a  long  uninhabited  region. 
While  we  were  waiting  for  him,  there  suddenly 
fell  upon  us  a  mob  of  about  thirty  or  forty  per- 
sons, armed  with  sticks,  swords  and  pistols.  They 
surrounded  us  so  quickly  that  it  seemed  as  if  they 
had  dropped  down  out  of  the  skies.  They  were 
raging  wild  with  excitement,  and  we  thought 
surely  this  time  we  would  be  murdered.  I 
breathed  a  silent  prayer  to  God  for  help  and  de- 
liverance, and  then  received  the  courage,  inspired 
by  God's  Spirit,  to  ask  them  to  be  quiet  for  a 
moment  and  give  me  an  opportunity,  (before 
they  killed  us),  to  say  a  word  to  them  of  Jesus 
and  His  love.  I  took  the  Testament  approved  by 
the  Catholic  Church,  and  read,  "  For  God  so 
loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten 
Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him,  should  not 
perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  Then  for  about 
twenty  or  thirty  minutes,  standing  with  uncov- 
ered head,  in  the  burning  hot  sun,  I  talked  to 
them  of  God's  great  love.  The  mob  at  once  be- 
gan to  quiet  down,  some  dropped  their  stones  and 
sticks,  others  put  up  their  swords  and  pistols,  and 


142  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

all  listened  attentively;  many  seemed  deeply 
moved,  and  some  with  tears  in  their  eyes,  came 
up,  and  throwing  their  arms  around  us,  said, 
"  How  is  this  ?  We  have  never  heard  such  things 
before."  There  could  be  no  doubt  that  God  had 
sent  His  Spirit  to  deliver  us  and  to  deliver  them. 
We  had  a  glorious  time.  A  few,  however,  were 
not  satisfied,  and  the  priest  of  the  town  was  rag- 
ing mad.  We  knew  that  efiforts  were  being  made 
to  organize  another  and  stronger  mob  to  attack 
us  in  the  night.  We  sold  to  those  around  us  more 
copies  of  the  Scriptures,  and  having  secured  pro- 
visions for  the  journey,  we  decided  it  was  pru- 
dent to  move  on,  and  leave  them  to  the  guidance 
of  God's  Spirit  in  reading  the  Word.  Several 
persons  plead  with  us  to  remain  and  explain  to 
them  more  of  the  truths  of  that  wonderful  book, 
but  we  felt  persuaded  that  it  was  best  to  leave 
them.  As  we  bade  them  good-bye  and  ascended 
the  hill,  looking  back  over  the  town,  we  wept,  and 
we  also  shouted  glory  to  God,  who  had  given  His 
Word  entrance  into  that  community,  and  who 
had  so  marvellously  delivered  us  from  the  wrath 
and  violence  of  our  enemies. 

It  has  been  about  ten  years  since  this  took 
place,  and  my  heart  has  longed  many  times  to  re- 
turn and  know  something  more  of  the  results, 
but  the  opportunity  has  not  come ;  no  missionary 
or  preacher  has  yet  reached  that  section. 

We  there  were  told  that  the  Bishop  of  Diaman- 
tina,  having  learned  the  route  we  proposed  tak- 


Bahia  143 

ing,  had  written  letters  to  all  the  priests  along 
the  way,  and  sent  a  special  messenger  on  horse- 
back to  go  ahead  of  us  and  deliver  them.  This 
explained  how  it  was  that  in  every  place,  the  peo- 
ple were  already  advised  of  our  coming  and  were 
warned  against  us  and  our  Bibles.  I  then  re- 
called a  visit  I  had  had  in  Diamantina  from  a 
man  who  showed  himself  very  friendly  and 
greatly  interested  in  the  route  we  should  decide 
to  take  from  that  place ;  he  proffered  much  useful 
information  about  the  roads,  etc.  I  ascertained 
later  that  he  had  been  sent  to  us  by  the  Bishop 
for  the  express  purpose  of  knowing  our  route  so 
that  he  might  send  his  letters  of  warning  to  the 
priests.  Of  course,  at  the  time  of  the  visit  I  did 
not  suspect  anything  wrong. 

Before  we  left  the  bounds  of  that  Bishopric,  we 
passed  through  one  of  the  most  fanatical  villages 
we  had  yet  visited;  about  the  only  man  who 
dared  to  speak  with  us,  or  rather,  allowed  us  to 
speak  to  him,  refused  to  even  look  at  or  handle  a 
Bible.  He  said  that  he  was  afraid  to  touch  it, 
that  really  he  had  just  as  soon  take  hold  of  the 
most  poisonous  snake  as  to  touch  that  book;  he 
believed  if  he  were  to  take  it  in  his  hand,  he  would 
fall  dead  on  the  spot;  and,  trembling  with  fear, 
he  asked  us  to  move  on. 

When  we  reached  the  lower  lands  and  larger 
valleys,  the  soil  was  more  fertile,  the  trees  larger 
and  the  whole  aspect  of  the  country  changed.  In 
the  town  of  Philadelphia,  or  Theophilo  Ottoni,  is 


144  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

a  German  colony,  which  has  made  its  impress 
most  distinctly  on  the  whole  country.  The  Lu- 
theran pastor  showed  a  truly  evangelical  spirit, 
and  I  learned  that  he  frequently  preached  in  Por- 
tuguese. One  of  our  correspondents  in  Bahia  oc- 
casionally consigned  to  him  small  quantities  of 
Scriptures  for  sale  and  distribution  among  the 
Brazilians.  I  afterwards  shipped  Scriptures  to 
him  from  Rio. 

From  that  town  we  still  journeyed  on  muleback 
to  reach  the  little  railroad  that  would  take  us  to 
the  seacoast.  We  took  the  shorter  and  more  di- 
rect route  through  a  section  inhabited  by  wild  In- 
dians who  had  recently  been  enraged  against  the 
Government  for  cutting  a  road  through  their  ter- 
ritory. Just  two  weeks  before  they  had  killed  a 
white  man.  We  were  advised  to  pass  their  vil- 
lages at  night,  and  to  do  this  we  had  to  travel 
over  long,  uninhabited  sections  of  wild  forests  in 
the  daytime.  For  three  days  and  nights  we 
scarcely  slept,  and  when  we  reached  the  railway, 
both  men  and  animals  were  well  tired  out.  Dur- 
ing this  latter  part  of  the  journey,  we  had  but 
few  Scriptures  for  distribution.  About  the  last 
we  sold  were  a  few  copies  at  a  small  village; 
when  about  two  miles  away,  I  heard  some  one 
shouting  behind  us,  and  looking  back,  saw  a 
negro  man  running  toward  us  in  great  haste.  He 
came  up  with  the  perspiration  streaming  from 
his  face,  and  said  his  master  was  asleep  when  we 
passed  through  the  village ;  but  awoke  soon  after 


Bahia  145 

we  left,  and  hearing  of  the  books  we  were  selHng, 
greatly  desired  one,  and  that  he  had  sent  him  in 
great  haste  to  overtake  us  and  buy  one.  Fortu- 
nately we  yet  had  a  few  left  and  were  able  to 
supply  him. 

During  this  journey  of  six  weeks  we  had 
travelled  about  560  miles;  visited  twenty-eight 
towns  and  villages  with  many  intervening  settle- 
ments, scarcely  any  of  which  had  ever  before 
been  visited  by  colporteur  or  missionary,  and  sold 
nearly  700  copies  of  the  Scriptures,  many  of  them 
to  persons  who  had  never  before  seen  or  scarcely 
heard  of  a  Bible,  and  preached  to  hundreds  for 
the  first  time.  The  return  journey  I  was  obliged 
to  leave  to  the  colporteurs.  Bahia  and  its  vicinity 
call  for  a  separate  account. 

Mrs.  Agassiz  has  very  well  said  that  on  arriv- 
ing in  Brazil  *'  one  should  land  first  in  Bahia,  for 
in  its  aspect  it  is  the  most  national  and  character- 
istic of  the  cities."  She  speaks  of  its  quaint  and 
picturesque  character,  and  then  says,  "  On  first 
disembarking,  you  find  yourself  at  the  foot  of  an 
almost  perpendicular  hill,  and  negro  bearers  ap- 
pear at  your  side  to  carry  you  up  the  steep  ascent 
in  a  curtained  chair."  Since  1865,  these  "  cadei- 
ras,"  borne  by  negro  slaves,  have  given  way  to 
an  elevator,  and  electric  cable  cars. 

The  bay,  whose  real  name  is  Bahia  de  Todos  os 
Santos,  All  Saints'  Bay,  so  called  by  the  Portu- 
guese navigator  who  first  discovered  it,  most 
probably  on  All  Saints'  Day,  is  said  by  many  to 


146  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

be  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world.  The  city  was 
founded  about  the  year  1550,  with  the  name  of 
San  Salvador.  The  King  of  Portugal  sent  out 
the  first  Governor-General  Brazil  ever  had,  with 
instructions  to  build  a  city  in  the  Bay  of  All 
Saints,  to  be  called  San  Salvador.  It  was  to  be 
"  strong  enough  not  only  to  keep  the  natives  in 
awe,  but  also  to  resist  the  attack  of  any  more  for- 
midable enemy."  Six  Jesuits  accompanied  this 
expedition,  the  first  to  set  foot  in  the  New  World. 
Xavier  had  already  gone  to  the  East,  and  now  the 
souls  of  the  BraziHans  concerned  Joao  III.  Ba- 
hia  remained  the  seat  of  government  until  1763, 
when  the  viceroy  was  instructed  to  move  it  to 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  was  the  centre  of  Brazil's  po- 
litical, social  and  religious  history  in  colonial 
times.  The  story  of  the  first  settlers,  the  strug- 
gles between  the  Portuguese  and  the  French,  and 
against  the  Spaniards,  the  Dutch  invasion,  are 
all  interesting  chapters  in  the  history  of  this 
really  quaint  and  wonderful  old  city,  if  indeed 
a  city  of  350  years  can  be  called  old.  From  ex- 
ternal appearances  it  might  be  a  thousand  years 
old.  Its  religious  history  is  a  most  remarkable 
and  painful  one;  the  coming  of  the  first  Jesuits, 
the  first  nunnery.  Bishopric,  and  Arch-Bishopric 
in  Brazil,  all  indicate  that  it  has  from  the  be- 
ginning been  a  stronghold  and  principal  centre  for 
Roman  Catholicism.  But  the  intellectual  and 
moral  condition  of  the  inhabitants  in  the  city  and 


Bahia  147 

throughout  this  great  State  is  a  sad  commentary 
on  this  Church. 

This  was  for  a  long  time  the  great  centre  of  the 
importation  of  African  slaves,  and  the  negro  ele- 
ment is  so  large  as  to  occasion  the  denomination 
of  Bahia  as  the  "  Africa  of  Brazil."  Thousands 
of  these  blacks  are  worshipping  to-day  the  fet- 
ishes and  wearing  the  charms  which  they  and 
their  ancestors  brought  over  from  Africa.  The 
population  of  the  city  of  St.  Salvador  is  about 
175,000,  and  it  is  the  second  city  in  size  in  tlie 
Republic.  Notwithstanding  its  quaint  and  an- 
cient appearance,  there  are  many  modern  im- 
provements iin  the  way  of  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments, street  railways,  electric  cars,  railroad 
station,  and  other  buildings.  The  city  is  well 
lighted  with  gas  and  has  a  good  supply  of  water. 
The  railroad  extends  from  the  city  to  Joazeiro  on 
the  banks  of  the  San  Francisco  river,  a  distance 
of  about  370  miles.  There  is  also  a  system  of  river 
and  seacoast  navigation  from  this  point;  all  of 
which  are  advantageous  to  efforts  for  circulating 
the  Scriptures  throughout  the  country.  The 
State  claims  to  have  about  755  public  schools,  332 
for  boys,  265  for  girls,  and  158  for  both  boys 
and  girls;  there  are  also  a  number  of  private 
schools.  The  city  has  a  number  of  technical 
schools,  such  as  a  Lyceum,  Academy  of  Fine 
Arts,  a  Normal  School  for  young  men,  and  a 
Normal  School  for  young  women,  a  Law  School, 


148  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

Medical  College,  a  Roman  Catholic  Theological 
Seminary,  etc.  There  are  a  number  of  daily 
papers  and  other  periodicals,  and  several  libraries. 

However  great  may  be  the  need  of  the  Bible 
to  the  inhabitants  of  this  immense  State,  it  must 
appear  from  the  statements  above,  that  the 
illiteracy  and  superstition  so  largely  prevailing, 
together  with  the  hostile  influence  of  the  Church, 
with  the  masses  of  the  people,  are  by  no  means 
favourable  conditions  for  the  circulation  of  the 
written  Word.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  that 
Henry  Martin,  who  on  his  eventful  voyage  to 
India  nearly  a  century  ago,  touched  at  this  point, 
after  viewing  with  his  spiritual  sight  the  condi- 
tion of  the  people  and  conversing  in  Latin  with 
priests  and  friars,  should  have  sighed  and  said, 
"  Crosses  there  are  in  abundance ;  but  when  shall 
the  doctrines  of  the  cross  be  held  up  ?  "  a  very 
pertinent  inquiry,  which  only  began  to  have  its 
real  answer  about  fourscore  years  later. 

From  the  first  attempts  of  evangelical  Chris- 
tianity to  teach  the  truth  in  that  city,  a  few  Bibles 
found  acceptance.  On  my  first  arrival  the  Bap- 
tist and  Presbyterian  mission  stations  were  al- 
ready well  established  and  had  reached  out  to  a 
few  neighbouring  towns  and  villages. 

The  first  words  of  testimony  I  heard  from  these 
missionaries  were  to  the  effect  that  the  extension 
of  their  work  in  the  city,  but  more  particularly 
outside,  was  due  to  the  work  of  the  Bible  col- 
porteurs; and  they  offered  every  encouragement 


Bahia  149 

and  promised  cooperation  in  our  efforts  to  carry 
the  Bible  to  the  far  interior.  Thousands  of  cop- 
ies of  the  Word  of  God  have  been  sold  within  the 
city  limits  during  the  period  of  which  we  write. 

Our  first  journey  in  the  year  1888  w^as  from  the 
city  of  Bahia  across  the  bay  and  up  the  river  by 
boat  about  forty-eight  miles  to  the  city  of  Cacho- 
eira.  Thence  we  travelled  by  the  Brazil  Central 
Railway  along  the  valley  of  the  Paraguassu  river 
for  a  distance  of  more  than  150  miles. 

The  story  of  the  next  week  is  one  of  hardship. 
We  supplied  ourselves  Vv^ith  mules,  buying  them 
from  a  man  who  had  brought  to  the  coast  a  cargo 
of  dried  beans  and  coffee.  As  the  public  road  to 
Lengoes  was  very  circuitous,  w^e  took  a  shorter 
path  through  the  forest.  We  crossed  a  river  in  a 
leaky  old  canoe  that  threatened  every  moment  to 
swamp  us,  then  got  tangled  in  the  midst 
of  a  great  swamp  surrounded  by  a  dense  forest. 
The  mules  fell  with  their  loads  in  the  mud  and 
water,  and  we  had  to  wade  a  considerable  dis- 
tance to  firm  land.  The  nights  were  full  of  dis- 
comfort. One  evening  we  searched  for  hours  for 
some  water,  until  the  words  of  David,  "  O  that 
one  would  give  me  drink  of  the  water  of  the  well 
of  Bethlehem,"  acquired  a  new  meaning.  Sleep 
gave  partial  relief,  and  in  the  morning  a  cock's 
crow  led  us  to  where  we  could  slake  our  thirst. 
One  afternoon  we  were  followed  by  three  ongas, 
or  Brazilian  jaguars,  but  were  spared  from  any 
attack.     There  was  naturally   little  opportimity 


150  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

for  Bible  work,  but  a  few  copies  of  the  Scriptures 
were  left  at  some  huts. 

We  heard  at  two  or  three  places  that  our  com- 
ing had  already  been  announced  in  the  town  of 
Len^oes,  and  that  the  priest  was  stirring  up  much 
opposition  to  us, — not  very  inviting  news  after 
the  long,  toilsome  and  dangerous  journey.  A 
man  coming  from  the  town  warned  us  of  the  dan- 
ger awaiting  us,  and  said  the  priest  was  organiz- 
ing a  mob  for  the  purpose  of  driving  us  out  of 
the  town,  and  that  most  probably  they  would 
kill  us.  I  felt  assured  in  my  heart  that  we  had 
come  thus  far  in  the  name  of  Christ  and  that  our 
mission  and  work  was  for  His  glory. 

About  one  o'clock  p.  m.,  October  19th,  we 
came  near  the  town.  While  still  in  the  woods  I 
called  the  men  to  a  halt;  we  dismounted,  knelt 
before  God  and  made  prayer  unto  Him.  I  felt  in 
my  heart  surely  He  was  present,  and  in  the  spirit 
we  were  ready  to  enter  the  town  and  undertake 
the  work  we  had  come  to  do.  As  we  passed  out 
from  the  woods  we  found  ourselves  on  the  brink 
of  a  hill,  from  which  we  looked  out  over  the  val- 
ley. On  the  opposite  side  from  us  and  back  of 
the  town  lay  a  great  range  of  barren,  rocky  hills, 
or  mountains.  Just  at  their  base  nestled  the  town 
of  one-story  houses,  there  being  just  now  and 
then  one  of  a  story  and  a  half  or  two  stories.  It 
seemed  as  though  every  inch  of  soil  along  the 
banks  of  the  little  river,  and  extending  some  dis- 
tance up  the  hillsides,  had  been  upturned,  sifted, 


Bahia 


151 


and  washed  in  search  of  diamonds.  Very  few 
are  found  now,  though  a  number  of  persons  keep 
at  work. 

The  first  thing  we  did  was  to  rent  a  small 
house,  there  being  no  such  thing  as  an  inn  or  a 
hotel  where  we  could  stop.  I  had  been  told  that 
the  priest  in  the  town  was  much  opposed  to  the 
Protestants  and  their  work,  and  that  a  number 
were  ready  to  do  any  meanness  in  the  way  of  per- 
secution that  he  might  suggest.  I  visited  the 
justice  of  peace  and  the  chief  of  police,  the 
two  principal  authorities  in  the  place,  explained 
to  them  the  nature  and  object  of  our  visit,  and  ob- 
tained of  them  the  privilege  to  sell  books  in  the 
streets.  They  were  both  kind,  and  made  no  ob- 
jection to  our  work.  I  asked  the  chief  of  police 
about  a  room  for  preaching,  as  it  was  contrary 
to  Brazilian  law  to  preach  in  the  streets,  and  he 
kindly  offered  to  procure  a  suitable  room  for 
the  service.  Very  soon  the  news  of  our  presence 
was  noised  through  the  town.  It  was  now  late; 
we  had  our  dinner,  and  sat  down  for  a  little  rest, 
intending  to  begin  our  work  the  next  morning. 
Very  soon  they  began  to  stone  the  house.  The 
stoning  continued  for  nearly  an  hour  and  was 
mingled  with  words  of  mockery  and  scorn.  At 
last  one  of  the  colporteurs  decided  to  go  out  and 
offer  them  some  tracts.  He  said  to  them  we  had 
come  on  a  mission  of  good-will,  exhorted  them 
to  take  these  tracts,  go  home  and  read  them,  and 
come  to  see  us  on  the  morrow.    The  plan  worked 


152  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

admirably.  Not  another  stone  was  thrown  or  a 
word  of  mockery  heard.  Quietude  reigned  in 
town.    We  had  sweet  worship  and  went  to  sleep. 

As  soon  as  we  opened  the  door  of  our  house 
the  next  morning  persons  began  to  come  in — 
some  to  buy  books,  others  to  ask  questions,  and 
more  to  see  what  sort  of  looking  creatures  Prot- 
estants are.  The  entire  day  was  occupied  in 
talking  to  the  people  and  selling  the  Scriptures. 
It  was  indeed  a  busy  day.  The  chief  of  police 
came  in  the  afternoon  to  tell  me  he  had  arranged 
a  large  room  for  the  worship,  and  said  he  would 
send  soldiers  at  night  to  keep  order.  At  eight 
o'clock,  when  the  door  was  opened,  and  we  were 
ready  to  begin  worship,  the  house  was  soon  full, 
and  many  stood  outside.  We  sung  some  hymns 
and  prayed.  I  read  passages  of  the  Word,  and 
preached  to  them  on  the  subject  of  the  sacred 
Scriptures  the  main  doctrines  and  truths  therein 
set  forth,  and  their  importance  to  all  men.  God 
certainly  blessed  us  on  that  occasion.  I  an- 
nounced preaching  for  Sunday  at  midday  and  at 
eight  o'clock  at  night. 

Sunday  morning  I  awoke  with  this  text  in 
mind,  "  Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God, 
and  Him  only  shalt  thou  serve."  In  my  slumber 
I  had  reviewed  a  sermon  previously  prepared  on 
this  subject  in  English,  but  never  preached  in 
Portuguese.  The  experience  was  a  most  glorious 
one;  I  saw  so  very  clearly  the  adaptation  of  the 


Bah 


la 


S3 


thoughts  to  these  people,  who,  bowed  down  to 
images  and  idols,  are  greedy  after  gain,  and  live 
only  to  satisfy  every  human  passion  and  lust.  At 
the  midday  service  and  at  night  we  had  large 
and  attentive  audiences.  Quite  a  number  shovv^ed 
some  interest  in  the  Gospel,  and  some  came  to 
talk  with  us  after  services.  We  had  most  excel- 
lent order  and  good  attention.  The  soldiers  kept 
under  control  those  who  were  disposed  to  disturb 
and  persecute.  This  act  of  the  chief  of  police  is  a 
thing  little  known  in  Brazil.  At  night,  when  I 
was  ready  to  sleep,  I  felt  the  day  had  been  well 
spent. 

In  the  interior  of  Brazil  it  is  customary  in  all 
the  small  towns  and  villages  to  have  one  day  in 
the  week  as  the  Feira  (market  day),  when  the 
country  people  bring  in  their  produce  and  mar- 
keting. Often  this  is  Sunday,  but  fortunately 
for  us  it  was  Monday  at  this  place,  and  we  had 
the  opportunity  of  selling  the  Scriptures  to  many 
who  live  in  the  country  some  distance  away. 

In  the  house  of  the  justice  of  the^peace  I  found 
a  young  negro  Christian,  who  was  born  in  Bahia, 
but  went  as  a  boy  to  Africa,  where  he  joined  the 
Wesleyan  Church.  He  had  been  to  England  and 
New  York,  and  hearing  of  his  father's  death 
had  returned  to  Brazil  to  care  for  his  mother. 
He  was  respected  by  all,  and  joined  in  our  serv- 
ices most  heartily.  The  colour  distinction  of  the 
races  is  scarcely  recognized  in  Brazil.    The  fact 


154  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

is,  it  is  hardly  recognizable — that  is  to  say,  it 
would  be  almost  an  impossibility  to  draw  such 
a  distinction,  there  is  such  a  mixture  of  the  races. 

A  few  days  later,  I  left  the  colporteurs  to  carry 
on  the  work  and  return  to  the  city  of  Bahia  by  a 
more  circuitous  route  in  order  to  reach  a  larger 
number  of  towns  and  villages.  From  time  to 
time  other  journeys  have  been  made  by  colpor- 
teurs through  the  interior  of  that  State,  and  the 
missionaries  in  the  city  of  Bahia  have  had  many 
calls  to  come  and  explain  more  fully  to  the  read- 
ers the  wonderful  truths  of  the  colporteur's  book. 

The  work,  however,  has  not  been  carried  on 
without  much  opposition,  as  the  following  story 
from  one  of  our  colporteurs,  Jose  C.  da  Silva, 
well  illustrates.  He  had  been  two  days  in  a  small 
town  named  Villa  de  Giboia,  when  the  priest  sent 
a  member  of  his  family  with  a  well-armed  force 
to  attack  him,  which  they  did,  compelling  him  to 
deliver  up  all  his  books  to  be  burned  in  the  public 
square.  He  was  unable  to  obtain  redress  from 
the  authorities,  because  the  priest  himself  was 
considered  the  chief  authority  in  the  place.  They 
took  from  him  and  burned,  forty-seven  Bibles, 
fifty  New  Testaments,  and  lOO  Gospels.  Among 
them  was  his  own  Bible,  in  which  he  had  placed 
a  sum  of  money,  equal  to  about  fifty  dollars,  for 
safe  keeping.  This  also  was  burned.  He  had  no 
recourse  but  to  return  to  the  capital  and  report  to 
the  chief  of  police.  The  chief  told  him  that  he  had 
no  power  to  force  the  priest  to  indemnify  him,  but 


Bahia  155 

he  would  see  that  he  was  secured  against  any  new 
attack.  The  colporteur  published  a  full  report 
of  the  incident  in  one  of  the  daily  papers  and  re- 
turned to  the  work.  Doubtless  it  will  finally  re- 
sult in  the  furtherance  of  the  Gospel  in  that  part 
of  the  country.  I  was  afterwards  told  that  the 
priest  was  really  the  mayor  of  the  town  and  a 
member  of  the  State  Legislature. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  two  of  our  colpor- 
teurs in  the  year  1891  continued  the  overland 
journey  from  Rio  into  this  section  and  reached 
the  city  of  Bahia.  At  a  town  called  Victoria  they 
sold  three  Bibles.  They  left  also  a  few  tracts, 
and  copies  of  an  evangelical  paper  which  had 
been  given  them  for  distribution.  At  least  one  of 
the  purchasers  became  interested  in  the  Bible, 
and  afterward  wrote  to  the  editor  and  subscribed 
to  the  paper.  In  September,  1897,  just  six  years 
later,  a  letter  was  received  in  Rio  de  Janeiro 
from  that  gentleman,  stating  that  he  had  been 
reading  the  Bible  together  with  other  persons, 
and  that  twenty-four  of  them  had  banded  them- 
selves together  to  study  the  Scriptures,  and  were 
meeting  regularly  to  worship  God  as  best  they 
knew  how.  He  begged  that  a  preacher  be  sent 
at  once  to  preach  Christ  to  them  and  instruct 
them  more   fully. 

From  all  points  of  this  great  country  such  calls 
are  frequent.  The  representatives  of  the  Bible 
Society  in  past  years  have  been  sowing  the  seed, 


156  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

and  now  the  call  comes  for  the  reapers  to  gather 
the  harvest. 

A  recent  number  of  an  evangelical  paper  con- 
tained an  open  letter  from  a  Brazilian,  in  which 
he  directs  special  attention  to  the  nameless  heroes 
in  the  history  of  the  evangelization  of  this  coun- 
try. He  says :  "  Thou  knowest,  my  friend,  and 
all  the  missionaries  and  evangelists  testify  to  it  in 
the  recollections  of  their  travels,  that  in  nearly 
every  case  where  the  preacher  of  the  Gospel  goes 
for  the  first  time,  in  whatever  community  of  our 
country,  he  meets  already  one  or  more  persons 
who  receive  him  with  sympathy,  and  who  for 
some  time,  in  fervent  prayers  to  God,  have 
begged  his  visit.  One  owns  and  reads  a  Bible; 
another  knows  how  to  sing  hymns;  many  have 
read  evangelical  tracts.  Who  did  this  work  ?  No 
one  knows.  Along  there  some  time  ago  passed 
a  colporteur;  a  poor,  fiercely  persecuted  believer 
from  another  community  to  that  place,  or  at  least 
took  refuge  there  for  a  time — a  nameless  one,  in- 
deed, prepared  the  way  for  the  preacher.  I  know 
of  cases,  my  friend,  in  which  the  congregation 
was  already  a  reality,  and  already  the  house  of 
prayer  was  erected  when  the  missionary  or  evan- 
gelist arrived." 

If  the  world  does  easily  forget  her  nameless 
heroes,  our  church  ought  not  to  forget  hers,  of 
whom  she  has  a  great  number  in  this  land.  And 
I  do  not  believe  it  is  asking  too  much  that  in  the 


Bahia 


157 


history  of  the  conquerors  or  the  heroes  who  have 
names  to  be  recorded,  a  chapter  dedicated  to 
the  nameless  heroes,  the  humble  colporteurs  of 
the  Bible  Society  would  be  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting of  the  book. 


VII 
Tent  Life 

ON  MULEBACK  THROUGH  MINAS  GERAES PIONEER 

WORK    BEARING    FRUIT THE    BLACK    RIVER 

THE   NIAGARA   OF   SOUTH    AMERICA. 

THE  general  direction  taken  to  reach  this 
district  was  by  rail  from  Rio  de  Janeiro 
to  the  city  of  Sao  Paulo,  a  distance 
of  about  300  miles,  and  from  thence  north- 
ward by  rail  to  Campinas,  a  distance  of 
sixty-two  miles,  and  then  by  the  Mogyanna 
railroad  to  Jaguara,  the  first  static*i  just 
across  the  Rio  Grande,  a  distance  of  318  miles, 
since  extended  to  Araguary,  175  miles  more. 
This  system  has  in  operation  741  miles  of  road, 
and  is  doing  much  to  open  up  and  develop  one  of 
the  most  fertile  sections  of  the  country.  The 
work  through  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo  will  be  de- 
scribed in  another  chapter.  So  then  our  story 
begins  from  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Grande  and 
carries  us  northward  for  six  weeks  on  muleback 
by  a  circuitous  route  of  about  400  miles  to  the 
Rio  Preto,  which  flowing  into  the  Paracatu  river, 
forms  the  largest  western  tributary  to  the  head 
waters  of  the  great  San  Francisco.  We  descended 
158 


Tent  Life  159 

the  Rio  Preto,  Paracatu  and  San  Francisco 
rivers  almost  all  the  way  in  canoe  to  the  Atlantic 
ocean,  a  distance  of  1,500  miles,  and  returned 
from  thence  by  ocean  steamer  to  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
a  distance  of  1,000  miles. 

We  began  the  real  work  of  the  journey  at 
Jaguara.  At  this  time  there  were  perhaps 
seventy-five  or  100  persons  living  about  the  place. 
I  had  brought  with  me  a  full  outfit  for  travel, 
consisting  of  a  tent,  traveller's  bed,  wearing  ap- 
parel, a  small  supply  of  canned  foods,  a  few 
simple  medicines,  a  quantity  of  books,  etc.  I  had 
instructed  our  colporteur,  Sr.  Lourengo  d' Al- 
meida, to  secure  the  necessary  animals  and  har- 
ness for  the  journey,  and  had  previously  shipped 
on  a  large  supply  of  books.  On  landing  at  the 
station  I  was  disappointed  not  to  find  him  waiting 
for  me.  I  had  secured  a  letter  of  introduction 
from  my  friend.  Dr.  Orville  Derby,  to  a  well-to- 
do  farmer  who  lived  very  near  the  station,  and 
soon  made  my  way  to  his  house,  where  I  was  cor- 
dially received  and  well  entertained.  I  found 
him  to  be  a  very  liberal-minded  man,  and  one 
who  seemed  ready  for  the  new  order  of  things 
that  was  to  take  place  in  the  very  near  future, 
such  as  the  liberation  of  the  slaves,  the  overthrow 
of  the  monarchy,  etc.  But  the  Colonel,  as  every- 
body called  him,  was  too  advanced  in  vears  to 
do  much  active  service  for  his  country.  He  had 
freed  all  his  slaves  several  years  before,  and  had 
very  comfortably  and  wisely  adjusted  himself  to 


l6o  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

the  new  conditions.  We  had  long  talks  together 
about  the  Bible,  and  I  read  and  explained  to  him 
passages  of  the  Word. 

He  bought  a  Bible,  which  I  handed  to  him  with 
a  prayer  that  it  might  prove  a  great  blessing  to 
him  in  his  declining  years.  There  were  about  the 
plantation  a  number  of  children,  for  whom,  as  I 
learned  upon  inquiry,  there  was  no  school ;  a 
state  of  things  of  frequent  occurrence  through 
the  interior  of  the  country. 

Early  the  next  morning  while  waiting  for  my 
colporteur  I  started  out  to  offer  the  Scriptures, 
and  sold  ten  copies,  two  of  them  to  men  who 
lived  a  long  distance  away,  and  who  had  come  to 
the  railroad  in  ox  carts  loaded  with  produce. 
Down  by  the  river  side  I  visited  several  boatmen 
in  their  mud  huts,  one  of  whom  was  quite  sick. 
I  selected  and  read  to  him  what  I  thought  to  be 
a  few  appropriate  passages  of  Scripture,  and 
talked  to  him  of  Jesus  the  Saviour  of  men.  It 
all  seemed  new  to  him  and  he  grew  deeply  inter- 
ested. The  Spirit  was  present,  and  as  the  poor, 
sick  man  began  to  grasp  some  knowledge  of  the 
truth  his  face  brightened,  and  his  heart  rejoiced. 
Several  others  standing  by  listened  with  great  at- 
tention. This  was  the  first  opportunity  these  men 
had  ever  had  of  hearing  the  Word  of  God.  It 
must  not  be  inferred  from  this  statement  that  this 
was  the  first  time  that  the  Bible  had  crossed  the 
Rio  Grande.  Several  years  previous  to  this  two 
of  the  colporteurs  of  the  American  Bible  Society 


Tent  Life  i6i 

had  penetrated  into  that  interior  region  on  foot, 
sending  their  books  from  place  to  place  by  pack- 
mules.  They  would  go  on  long  journeys  and  be 
absent  for  several  months  at  a  time,  and  on  their 
return  to  the  nearest  mission  station,  which  was 
Mogy-Mirim,  they  would  relate  their  thrilling 
experiences  and  work  to  the  missionary,  and  urge 
him  to  go  with  them  and  preach  the  Gospel  to 
the  many  who  were  anxious  to  hear  and  who 
were  reading  their  Bibles,  ^lany  times  they 
would  tell  also  of  the  opposition  and  persecu- 
tions encountered.  At  the  town  of  Uberaba  Jose 
Tonelli,  an  old  soldier  of  Garibaldi,  had  been 
stoned  and  left  by  the  roadside  for  dead. 

It  was  principally  through  the  influence  of 
Felippe  W^eingeter  that  the  Rev.  John  Boyle,  a 
pioneer  missionary,  whose  grave  makes  dear  to 
the  Church  of  Christ  that  whole  interior  region, 
was  induced  to  go  on  an  evangelistic  tour  and  in- 
spect the  work  being  done  by  these  men.  He 
turned  over  to  native  workers  what  he  had  wisely 
planted  in  and  about  ^logy-^Iirim,  and  with  his 
family  settled  in  the  far  interior,  at  what  he 
deemed  a  convenient  centre  from  which  to  make 
evangelistic  tours  in  many  directions  through  the 
Provinces  of  Minas  Geraes  and  Goyaz. 

The  work  has  prospered  from  the  very  begin- 
ning and  a  number  of  small  congregations  have 
sprung  up  throughout  that  extensive  region. 

On  the  second  morning  two  men  rode  up  ac- 
companied by   several  pack-mules.   I   asked  one 


1 62  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

of  them  if  he  did  not  wish  to  buy  a  Bible;  he 
thanked  me  and  said  he  had  a  Bible,  and  I  was 
agreeably  surprised  to  find  that  this  was  my  col- 
porteur, whom  I  had  never  before  seen ;  the  other 
was  the  servant  who  was  to  do  our  cooking  and 
look  after  the  animals.  Our  troop  consisted  of 
nine  animals,  one  for  each  of  us  to  ride,  and  four 
for  cargo,  which  consisted  of  a  tent,  a  few  cook- 
ing utensils,  a  small  quantity  of  provisions,  wear- 
ing apparel  and  our  supply  of  Scriptures. 

We  left  the  railroad  station  about  2  130  o'clock, 
March  30.  The  way  was  through  a  rough  and 
hilly  section,  sparsely  inhabited.  As  the  sun 
seemed  to  touch  the  tree-tops  of  the  western  hills 
we  camped  where  the  grass  grew  fresh  beside  a 
small  stream.  We  passed  the  town  of  Sacra- 
mento about  nine  a.  m,,  the  next  day,  and  left 
copies  of  the  Scriptures.  Very  soon  we  were  on 
the  plains,  almost  uninhabited.  At  times  we 
seemed  to  be  in  a  great  sea  of  prairie  grass, 
"  planted  with  island  groves,"  extending  to  the 
horizon.  At  four  o'clock  of  Saturday  we  came 
to  a  convenient  place  and  pitched  our  tent  beside 
the  water  for  rest  on  Easter  Sunday. 

The  morning  was  bright  and  lovely,  the  shower 
having  cleared  the  air.  I  talked  to  my  men  of  our 
Lord's  resurrection,  and  we  felt  a  touch  of  the 
resurrection  power.  In  the  afternoon  an  ox  cart 
came  by,  and  one  of  the  men  stopped  and  asked 
us  for  a  cup  of  coffee.  As  the  servant  gave  it 
to  him  I  preached  to  him  Jesus  Christ  and  the 


Tent  Life  163 

commandments.  It  seemed  to  him  strange,  but 
he  became  interested  and  tarried  quite  a  while.  I 
read  to  him  the  commandment  on  the  Sabbath, 
and  gave  him  a  copy  of  the  Gospel.  When  about 
to  leave,  he  said  he  would  overtake  his  ox  cart 
and  rest  for  the  remainder  of  the  day.  We  passed 
the  evening  pleasantly,  readmg  and  singing 
hymns,  and  the  day  was  a  happy  one.  I  had 
my  opportunities,  though  I  was  only  with  these 
three  men  on  the  plain.  Where  there  is  one  man 
there  is  an  opportunity.  Our  Saviour  preached 
to  the  woman  at  the  well  of  Samaria. 

Monday  morning  we  were  up  at  three  o'clock, 
and  before  daylight,  while  the  moon  yet  shone 
brightly,  we  started  on  our  way.  At  a  house  be- 
side the  road,  where  we  stopped  to  breakfast,  the 
man  of  the  house  became  much  interested,  and  as 
we  began  to  load  the  animals,  he  said  to  me : 
"  Read  more  to  me  and  let  the  other  men  load  the 
animals."  Some  of  his  neighbours  came  in,  and 
he  had  me  to  read  and  explain  passages  to  them 
also.    He  and  others  bought  copies  of  the  Word. 

From  thence  until  night  we  journeyed  across 
vast  plains  upon  which  scarcely  any  vegetation 
grows,  except  the  prairie  grass  two  or  three  feet 
high.  Now  and  then,  near  the  small  streams, 
where  were  a  few  trees,  we  saw  birds  and  animals 
such  as  the  ostrich,  parrot,  tatou  and  fox.  Late 
in  the  afternoon  we  began  to  despair  of  finding 
water  for  the  animals  and  ou^-selves.  One  of  the 
men  suggested  that  one  of  our  little  pack-mules, 


164  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

if  put  in  front,  would  find  water  if  there  was  any 
near  the  road ;  so  we  all  followed  the  little  mule. 
After  about  one-half  hour  he  turned  aside  from 
the  road;  we  all  followed,  and  very  soon  he  led 
us  down  beside  a  small  stream,  where  we  found 
good  grass  for  the  animals  and  a  pleasant  camp- 
ing ground.  The  next  morning  we  resumed  our 
journey  at  an  early  hour. 

About  one  p.  m.  near  a  village  I  met  a  man  and 
talked  to  him  of  the  Scriptures.  He  became  much 
interested,  and  though  he  could  not  read,  bought 
a  copy,  saying  he  had  a  friend  who  could  read. 

At  first  he  seemed  surprised  that  Jesus  Christ 
should  have  lived  and  died  for  sinners  nearly 
nineteen  hundred  years  ago,  and  the  truth  was 
just  now  being  made  known  to  him  and  his 
friends.  He  was  slow  to  believe  because  of  this 
fact.  It  is  true  the  Roman  Church  pretended 
to  exist  in  this  country;  but  the  truth  is  not 
preached,  and  the  people  know  nothing  of  the  real 
truth  of  the  Gospel.  Let  the  Church  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  think  on  the  questioning  in  this  ig- 
norant man's  mind.  If  Jesus  died  nearly  1,900 
years  ago  to  save  sinners,  and  gave  the  command 
"go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to 
every  creature,"  what  has  the  Church  and  minis- 
try been  doing  all  these  years,  that  men  to-day, 
for  the  first  time  are  hearing  the  good  news? 
How  long  before  there  will  not  be  one  man  on 
earth  who  has  not  heard  the  story?  If  all  the 
energies  and  forces  of  the  Church  were  brought 


Tent  Life  165 

to  bear  to  accomplish  this  one  end,  how  soon  it 
might  be  done ! 

At  Bagagem  we  had  a  cordial  welcome  from 
two  Presbyterian  missionaries,  the  Rev.  John 
Boyle  and  the  Rev.  G.  W.  Thompson,  in  company 
with  whom  I  came  to  Brazil.  They  had  recently 
moved  to  this  town,  and  were  preaching  in  a  num- 
ber of  towns  and  villages  in  this  section.  Sunday 
afternoon  I  preached  at  Estrella  do  Sul  {"  Star 
of  the  South  "),  a  small  town  named  for  the  sec- 
ond largest  known  diamond  in  the  world.  This 
gem  was  found  by  a  negress  in  the  year  1853, 
who  presented  it  to  her  owner  to  obtain  her  free- 
dom. After  being  cut  at  Amsterdam  it  weighed 
125  carats,  and  was  valued  at  $10,000,000  to 
$12,000,000.  A  few  years  ago  it  belonged  to  the 
Pasha  of  Egypt. 

We  sold  many  copies  of  the  Scriptures  in  Bag- 
agem, and  on  April  i8th  set  out  for  Paracatu, 
about  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  to  the  north. 
We  travelled  for  several  hours  over  hills  and  high- 
lands, and  at  evening  came  to  Carmo,  a  village  of 
a  few  hundred  inhabitants,  said  to  be  a  very  fa- 
natical place,  where  there  is  much  opposition  to 
the  Gospel.  The  next  morning  a  heavy  rain  con- 
tinued until  near  midday,  and  during  the  morning 
we  made  a  canvass  of  the  town,  succeeding  in 
selling  seventeen  copies  of  the  Scriptures,  not- 
withstanding the  opposition  of  some  who  were 
very  bitter  against  us. 

After  a  pleasant  Sunday  by  a  beautiful  little 


1 66  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

stream,  we  came  on  Monday  to  the  Paranahyba 
river,  which  we  crossed  in  canoes,  the  animals 
having  to  swim  across.  From  the  river  we  as- 
cended a  great  serra  into  the  highlands,  or  water- 
shed, between  the  north  and  south,  east  and  west. 
We  continued  on  this  great  highland  until  within 
a  few  miles  of  Paracatu.  We  saw  very  few  peo- 
ple during  the  time,  but  met  two  tropas  of  pack- 
mules  loaded  with  leather,  on  their  way  to  the 
railroad. 

Passing  over  this  extensive  highland  and  com- 
ing to  the  serra  on  the  north,  we  had  a  view  of 
one  of  the  most  extensive  and  beautiful  valleys  I 
have  ever  looked  upon.  We  stopped  for  a  while, 
that  our  minds  and  souls  might  drink  in  the  in- 
spiration of  such  a  scene  of  grandeur  and  beauty, 
then  descended  into  the  valley  and  pitched  our 
tent  beside  a  stream.  The  next  morning  we  found 
that  three  of  our  animals  had  strayed  off  or  were 
stolen,  and  the  entire  day  was  spent  in  searching 
for  them,  but  in  vain,  while  both  Mr.  Thompson 
and  I  were  badly  lost  in  the  wild  woods  of  this 
great  valley.  There  were  few  inhabitants  in  this 
valley,  and  they  very  poor,  but  we  hired  an 
ox  cart.  A  short  time  before  midday  we  found 
the  strayed  animals  beside  the  road,  some  eight  or 
ten  miles  from  the  camp. 

The  soil  of  this  valley  is  reasonably  fertile,  and 
produces  the  finest  pasture  I  have  seen  in  Brazil. 
We  came  to  the  city  of  Paracatu  late  in  the  after- 
noon of  April  2y.     This  place,  of  perhaps  5,000 


Tent  Life  167 

inhabitants,  is  the  largest  town  of  this  interior 
section,  and  is  situated  beside  a  small  stream  that, 
with  others,  forms  the  head-waters  of  the  great 
San  Francisco  river.  Great  quantities  of  gold 
have  been  dug  from  the  hills  and  banks  of  the 
river,  and  after  a  heavy  rain  a  great  many  per- 
sons are  employed  in  gathering  up  the  dirt 
washed  down  from  the  mountains,  which  fre- 
quently contains  considerable  quantities  of  gold. 

The  people  of  Paracatu  received  us  cordially, 
the  authorities  gave  us  permission  to  preach  in 
the  streets,  and  we  spent  nine  days  there.  Dur- 
ing the  daytime  we  offered  the  Scriptures  for 
sale  and  conversed  with  many  who  were  inter- 
ested in  the  Gospel.  For  seven  successive  nights 
we  preached  to  large  audiences  gathered  in  the 
public  square,  at  that  time  quite  a  new  and  un- 
usual thing.  I  inquired  how  it  was  that  we  were 
granted  this  liberty  and  met  with  so  little  oppo- 
sition, and  learned  that  the  vicar  of  the  town  was 
an  old  man,  who  had  grown  very  wealthy  and 
was  no  longer  specially  interested  or  concerned 
with  the  religious  interest  of  the  people.  While 
we  were  circulating  the  Bible  and  preaching  to 
his  people  he  was  quietly  taking  his  ease  in  his 
comfortable  house,  surrounded  by  servants  and 
all  the  luxury  to  be  had  in  that  far  interior 
town.  From  the  very  first  visit  of  a  colporteur 
and  missionary  the  work  has  prospered  in  that 
place. 

During  our  stay  there  I  had  seen  almost  every 


1 68  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

day  a  man  dressed  in  a  black  and  purple  robe  that 
hung  down  below  his  knees  going  through  the 
streets.  In  one  hand  he  carried  a  rod,  on  the  end 
of  which  was  a  little  silver  figure  of  a  dove,  while 
in  the  other  was  a  tin  plate  over  which  was  spread 
a  beautifully  embroidered  white  cloth ;  he  would 
ask  each  person  he  met  or  who  would  come  to  the 
door  when  he  knocked,  to  kiss  the  image  of  the 
dove  and  to  put  money  in  the  plate.  On  Sunday 
afternoon  our  colporteur  came  into  our  room  in 
a  great  state  of  excitement,  saying  that  he  had 
just  witnessed  a  very  disgusting  scene  of  idola- 
trous worship  and  blasphemy.  Looking  out  I 
saw  what  was  known  as  the  procession  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  The  old  priest  and  his  assistants, 
accompanied  with  a  band  of  music  and  quite  a 
multitude,  composed  principally  of  the  lower 
classes  and  street  urchins,  all  with  bare  heads, 
were  carrying  the  rod  with  the  silver  image  of  a 
dove  and  something  like  a  banner  on  which  was 
painted  a  dove.  They  were  constantly  sending 
up  great  quantities  of  fire  rockets ;  the  boys  spe- 
cially seemed  to  be  having  a  grand  time  and  there 
was  not  the  slightest  evidence  of  serious  thought 
or  conviction  with  any  one  in  the  crowd  as  to  the 
real  meaning  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  I  then  learned 
that  the  man  with  the  rod,  during  the  past  week, 
by  having  people  pay  for  the  privilege  of  kissing 
the  image  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  had  been  collecting 
money  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  procession; 
that  the  amount  collected  was  considerable,  while 


Tent  Life  169 

the  expenses  were  insignificant.  It  was  by  such 
methods  as  this  that  the  priest  had  enriched  him- 
self. 

On  the  morning  of  j\Iay  7  we  left  Paracatii  for 
the  Rio  Preto  (Black  River),  about  sixty-five 
miles  to  the  north.  The  country  through  which 
we  passed  was  flat  and  swampy.  Recent  rains 
had  swelled  all  the  little  streams  and  filled  to 
overflowing  the  pools  and  lakes,  so  that  travelling 
was  exceedingly  difficult  and  dangerous.  Wild 
birds  and  animals  were  numerous;  the  malaria 
from  the  lakes  and  swamps  was  abmidant,  and 
there  were  but  few  inhabitants  along  the  way. 
After  two  and  a  half  days  of  travel  we  reached 
the  river  and  were  entertained  at  a  farmer's  house 
while  we  disposed  of  the  animals,  and  made  prep- 
arations to  descend  the  river.  Some  of  the  slaves 
and  others  were  much  impressed  with  the  singing, 
and  asked  for  copies  of  the  hymns,  especially  of  a 
hymn,  "  The  Precious  Blood  of  Jesus."  As  they 
could  not  read,  I  was  curious  to  know  what  they 
would  do  with  them ;  I  thought,  however,  as  one 
boy  among  them  could  read,  they  perhaps  would 
have  him  teach  them  the  words.  The  next  day 
I  found  they  had  sewed  them  up  in  a  little  sack 
of  cloth,  and  with  a  string  had  fastened  them 
around  their  necks.  Their  idea  was  that  they 
were  now  saved ;  that  those  copies  of  hymns  con- 
tained the  whole  doctrine  of  salvation,  and  that 
it  was  only  necessary  to  be  in  possession  of  a 
copy  in  order  to  be  saved.    We  spent  what  time 


i7o  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

we  could  in  giving-  them  further  instruction  in  the 
truth.  We  bought  of  the  farmer  a  large  canoe — 
the  body  of  a  great  tree  hewn  out.  It  was  nearly 
thirty  feet  long,  two  feet  six  inches  deep,  and 
about  three  feet  wide.  We  gave  our  boat  the 
name  of  Boas  Novas  (Good  News).  Our  bag- 
gage consisted  of  three  hundred  and  sixty-three 
copies  of  the  Scriptures,  a  supply  of  provisions, 
cooking  utensils,  our  bedding,  and  valises.  We 
employed  two  men — one  a  pilot,  the  other  an 
oarsman. 

On  May  12  we  began  our  voyage  down  the 
great  valley  of  the  San  Francisco  river.  The 
muddy  banks  of  the  Rio  Preto  were  densely  cov- 
ered with  trees,  bushes  and  vines;  multitudes  of 
land  and  water  animals  and  birds  interested  us. 
The  parrots,  monkeys,  alHgators  and  water  hogs 
were  the  most  numerous.  When  I  saw  the  dense 
mat  of  forest,  these  wild  birds  and  animals,  and 
the  muddy  stream,  I  thought  I  could  see  the  ap- 
propriateness of  calling  it  the  Black  River. 

We  descended  this  river  about  sixty  miles,  to 
its  mouth,  and  did  not  see  a  human  being,  or 
scarcely  a  sign  of  an  inhabitant.  We  entered  the 
Paracatii  river,  and  for  a  distance  of  forty-five 
miles  saw  orly  one  man.  The  first  village  we 
came  to  had  about  125  inhabitants,  not  a  white 
man  among  them.  They  received  us  kindly,  and 
the  chief  officer  of  the  village  arranged  for  us 
to  preach,  himself  inviting  all  the  people.  It  was 
a  strange  proceeding,  especially  in  Brazil,  to  hear 


Tent  Life 


171 


the  officer,  about  dark,  calling  aloud  to  the  people 
to  assemble  to  hear  the  Gospel.  I  think  nearly 
every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  place  came 
as  we  preached  to  them  salvation  by  Christ. 
Although  the  people  are  poor,  and  only  a  few 
can  read,  a  number  bought  copies  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. The  next  morning,  when  we  were  in  our 
canoe  ready  to  leave,  about  twenty-five  of  them 
came  down  to  the  river  and  asked  us  to  once  more 
sing  for  them  some  of  our  beautiful  hymns. 
We  stepped  on  shore,  under  the  shade  of  the 
trees,  sung,  prayed  and  spoke  a  few  words  to 
them,  and  received  from  each  a  warm  shake  of 
the  hand  and  an  expression  of  a  hearty  apprecia- 
tion of  our  visit.  Along  the  Paracatu  river  we 
visited  a  few  settlements  and  came  next  into  the 
San  Francisco  river.  The  first  place  visited  was 
San  Romao,  a  village  of  about  800  inhabitants, 
where  we  had  little  success. 

In  the  afternoon  of  Sunday  as  we  were  in  our 
tent  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  a  number  of  men 
came  to  visit  us.  We  talked  to  them  of  the  Gos- 
pel of  truth  and  light.  One  man  invited  us  to 
his  house  and  arranged  for  us  to  preach.  Many 
came,  and  we  had  a  precious  service.  Early  Mon- 
day morning  we  went  into  the  streets,  and  sold 
more  than  twenty  copies,  some  to  men  who  lived 
a  long  distance  away.  I  have  since  learned  that 
at  least  one  of  these  copies  was  fruitful  of  good 
results,  the  reader  of  it  and  several  of  his  friends 
have  become  believers  in  the  religion  of  Jesus 


172  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

Christ,  and  are  begging  for  some  one  to  go  to 
their  community  to  preach  to  them  more  fully  the 
Gospel  of  salvation. 

On  our  way  to  this  town  we  had  spent  the 
night  with  a  man  living  on  the  banks  of  the 
river,  whose  heart  was  attentive  to  the  Word.  He 
bought  a  Bible  and  besought  us  to  return  soon  to 
visit  him  again. 

About  seven  or  eight  years  after  this  I  had  a 
letter  from  a  Presbyterian  preacher,  who  had 
been  on  a  journey  through  the  large  territory 
opened  up  by  the  colporteurs  and  Mr.  Boyle 
through  western  Minas  and  the  State  of  Goyaz. 
He  said  that  a  man  with  whom  he  had  spent  the 
night  on  this  journey  had  travelled  more  than  120 
miles  on  horseback  to  hear  the  preaching  and  to 
plead  with  him  to  go  and  visit  his  community. 
He  told  the  preacher  of  our  visit,  the  night  we 
spent  with  him,  and  said  he  had  been  reading 
the  Bible  for  all  these  years.  He  had  read  it  to 
his  neighbours  and  a  number  of  them  had  become 
believers  and  wanted  to  see  and  hear  a  preacher. 

While  resting  on  this  Sabbath  I  witnessed  what 
I  have  never  seen  in  any  other  place  nor  heard 
tell  of  before,  the  worshipping  of  the  ass  upon 
which  Jesus  rode  triumphantly  into  Jerusalem. 
We  were  quietly  resting  and  reading  under  the 
shade  of  a  great  tree  by  the  river  side,  v/hen  sud- 
denly we  heard  the  noise  and  crude  music  of  a 
crowd  that  was  marching  out  of  the  town  along 
the  road  leading  to  the  river.    I  soon  saw  in  the 


Tent  Life 


173 


midst  of  the  crowd  a  small  donkey,  all  decorated, 
and  upon  inquiry  was  told  that  they  were  worship- 
ping the  animal  in  commemoration  of  the  fact 
that  Jesus  rode  into  Jerusalem  upon  an  ass.  They 
told  me  that  that  animal  was  never  used  for  or- 
dinary purposes,  but  was  kept  as  a  sacred  animal 
and  object  of  worship. 

The  section  of  country  drained  by  the  San 
Francisco  river  and  its  tributaries,  is  estimated 
to  have  an  area  of  250,000  square  miles.  The 
river  rises  in  the  Serra  das  Canastras,  at  an  alti- 
tude of  more  than  2,500  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea,  and  flows  first  in  a  northerly  direction, 
then  eastward  and  empties  into  the  Atlantic 
ocean  about  midway  between  the  cities  of  Bahia 
and  Pernambuco,  about  1,740  miles  from  its 
source.  Numerous  tributaries,  increase  the  vol- 
ume of  water,  and  there  are  rapids,  cascades, 
and  cataracts,  especially  in  the  upper  and  lower 
parts  of  the  river. 

From  the  Pirapora  falls,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Rio  das  Velhas,  in  Minas  Geraes,  to  the  Sobrad- 
inho  rapids  in  the  State  of  Bahia,  a  distance  of 
about  800  miles,  the  river  is  easily  navigable  by 
vessels  of  very  light  draft.  In  recent  years  the 
government  has  completed  the  work  of  opening 
a  channel  through  the  Sobradinho  rapids  and  thus 
another  section  of  about  120  miles  is  now  open  to 
navigation  as  far  as  Boa  Vista.  When  I  passed 
down  the  river  in  the  year  1888  this  work  was 
just  being  completed.     It  is  doubtful  if  the  sec- 


174  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

tion  from  Boa  Vista  to  Jatoba,  a  distance  of  about 
150  miles,  will  ever  be  made  navigable,  though 
at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  canoes  and  small 
barges  do  go  up  and  down  these  cascades.  In  the 
section  from  Jatoba  to  Piranhas,  a  distance  of 
about  sixty-five  miles,  are  the  famous  Paulo  Al- 
fonso Falls,  said  to  be  second  only  to  the  great 
Niagara  of  North  America,  and  claimed  by  some 
not  to  be  surpassed  in  picturesqueness  by  any  in 
the  world.  The  volume  of  water,  a  little  less  than 
that  of  Niagara,  is  first  poured  into  a  narrow 
channel  between  two  natural  walls  of  granite;  and 
then  it  is  divided  into  three  great  falls,  increased 
to  four  in  the  rainy  season  when  the  volume  of 
water  is  very  great. 

The  principal  fall  forms  a  curve,  and  about 
midway  the  waters  are  dashed  against  the  north 
side  of  the  channel  and,  broken  into  foam  and 
spray,  go  leaping  madly  down  the  precipice  into 
the  wild  depths  below.  This  channel  is  about 
fifty-three  feet  wide,  and  the  height  of  the  entire 
system  of  rapids,  cascades  and  cataracts  is  about 
270  feet.  Then  comes  a  series  of  rapids  making 
the  river  unnavigable  until  we  reach  the  town  of 
Piranhas,  from  which  to  the  ocean,  about  100 
miles,  there  are  no  obstructions.  The  river  thus 
easily  furnishes  2,400  miles  of  navigation,  es- 
pecially in  the  rainy  season;  in  the  dry  season 
this  might  be  lessened  somewhat.  The  valley  or 
valleys  drained  by  this  system  of  rivers  form  an 
extensive  region  of  fertile  lands  capable  of  very 


Tent  Life  175 

large  agricultural  productions,  while  the  hillsides 
and  plains  are  well  adapted  to  stock  raising.  Al- 
most the  entire  section  lies  between  10°  and  20° 
south  of  the  Equator,  and  comprises  about 
200,000  square  miles  of  territory.  The  river  is 
noted  more  for  its  width  than  for  its  depth,  and 
like  the  Nile  overflows  its  banks  in  the  rainy  sea- 
son, from  November  to  March.  The  average 
width  of  the  river  in  the  extensive  navigable  sec- 
tion above  the  falls  is  about  1,100  yards,  while 
the  mean  depth  away  from  the  sand  banks  does 
not  exceed  a  few  feet.  The  overflows  during  the 
rainy  season  enrich  the  soil  and  planting  begins 
as  the  waters  abate.  The  population  in  this  region 
is  calculated  to  be  about  1,500,000,  but  it  is  esti- 
mated that  20,000,000  souls  and  more  could  be 
easily  supported  there. 

Sugar-cane,  cotton,  rice,  corn,  potatoes  and  in- 
deed most  of  vegetables  and  fruits  belonging  to 
sub-tropical  and  temperate  regions  may  be  easily 
grown  in  great  abundance.  The  lumber  trade 
is  susceptible  of  large  development;  and  granite 
for  building  is  abundant.  Those  who  have  stud- 
ied this  region  from  scientific  standpoints  tell  us 
that  it  is  rich  also  in  mineral  resources. 

Our  next  objective  point  was  the  town,  or  city, 
as  it  is  called,  of  Januaria,  so  named  in  honour  of 
the  sister  of  the  Emperor,  Dom  Pedro  11.  The 
distance  travelled  was  about  ninety  or  100  miles, 
and  we  visited  a  large  number  of  villages  and 
settlements  along  the  way,  meeting  for  the  most 


176  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

part  with  a  cordial  reception  and  selling  a  large 
number  of  copies  of  the  Scriptures. 

The  site  of  the  town  of  Januaria  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  river  is  an  extensive  flat  sandy  plain, 
with  a  range  of  hills  some  five  or  six  miles  to  the 
northwest,  while  to  the  east  in  the  distance  rises 
the  Serra  de  S.  Felippe.  The  total  number  of 
houses  was  about  750,  built  of  adobe  and  mud 
with  tiled  and  thatched  roofs;  many  of  them 
with  dirt  floors  and  no  ceiling,  and  nearly  all  of 
one  story.  The  chief  of  j^olice,  who  seemed  to  be 
the  highest  authority  in  the  town,  was  very  kind 
to  us ;  gave  permission  to  sell  our  books  in  the 
streets  and  promised  us  every  protection.  The 
population  numbered  about  7,000  souls.  This  is 
the  great  commercial  and  social  centre  for  all 
that  upper  valley  region.  It  is  distant  from  Rio 
dc  Janeiro  about  650  miles  and  from  Bahia  about 
620  miles,  but  the  importations,  which  are  chiefly 
dry  goods  and  salt,  come  via  Joazeiro,  about  650 
miles  distant  by  the  river.  The  mails  come  mostly 
by  packmules  from  Ouro  Preto,  the  capital  of 
]\Iinas  Geraes.  We  rented  a  small  house  in  which 
to  lodge  for  a  few  days ;  one  large  front  room 
with  windows  opening  on  the  street  proved  very 
suitable  for  preaching.  We  very  soon  began  our 
work  of  oflfering  to  the  inhabitants  the  Word  of 
God,  and  I  was  struck  at  once  with  the  very 
liberal  spirit  shown  by  the  people  in  general, 
many  buying  Bibles  without  hesitation. 

Tn  the  course  of  the  day  several  persons  re- 


Tent  Life 


177 


ferred  to  a  visit  made  to  that  city  more  than 
twenty  years  before  by  a  Spaniard  who  sold  a 
few  Bibles,  and  then  I  understood  why  it  was 
that  the  people  seemed  more  liberal  and  open  to 
the  Gospel  than  I  had  found  them  in  any  other 
place  along  the  river.  In  all  this  period  no 
Gospel  messenger  had  returned  to  visit  them, 
but  the  fruit  of  Thomas  Goulart's  visit  and  the 
reading  of  the  Bible  was  visible  on  every  hand. 
The  local  mind  had  indeed  been  greatly  unsettled, 
and  many  were  anxiously  seeking  some  solid 
ground  to  rest  upon.  When  invited  to  come  and 
talk  with  us  privately  about  the  Gospel  several 
gladly  accepted,  and  there  was  some  real  earnest 
spiritual  work  done  that  Saturday  night  in  our 
quiet  room.  God  did  richly  manifest  his  pres- 
ence as  we  tried  to  point  the  inquirers  to  "  the 
Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the 
world." 

It  is  a  painful  reflection  that  another  twelve 
years  has  passed  by  and  no  permanent  evangelis- 
tic work  has  been  established  in  the  place,  but  I 
rejoice  that  plans  are  on  foot  at  the  Bahia  mission 
station  to  establish  work  there  soon.  We  sold 
126  copies  of  the  Word  during  our  short  stay  in 
the  place.  As  I  was  walking  along  one  of  the 
main  streets  one  day  my  attention  was  attracted 
by  a  peculiar  noise.  I  drew  near  to  the  house 
from  whence  it  proceeded,  and  found  that  it  was 
a  school.  The  teacher  sat  at  one  end  of  the  room 
with  about  half  a  dozen  children  around  him. 


lyS  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

all  trying  to  read  from  one  book,  while  thirty 
others  were  scattered  over  the  room  in  groups  of 
five  or  six,  and  each  group  had  only  one  book : 
all  were  reading  and  spelling  aloud,  in  a  sing 
song  tone  that  would  remind  one  of  a  nest  of 
bumble  bees.  The  door  stood  open  and  I  looked 
in  for  a  moment.  As  I  started  on  my  way  a  boy 
came  out  and  asked  about  the  books  I  had  in  my 
hand;  he  carried  one  in  for  the  teacher  to  see 
and  then  ran  home  to  get  a  few  coppers  to  buy  a 
Gospel.  In  a  very  short  time  his  example  was 
followed  by  a  number  of  his  schoolmates,  and 
the  next  day  as  I  passed  by  I  found  them  all 
studying  and  reading  from  their  New  Testa- 
ments and  Gospels. 

One  man,  who  lived  several  leagues  away, 
bought  a  few  copies  of  the  Scriptures  to  sell  to 
his  friends.  I  have  recently  heard  that  some  of 
these  have  been  read,  and  that  there  are  some 
thirty  or  forty  persons  grouped  together  as  a 
band  of  believers,  who  are  asking  for  a  preacher 
to  visit  them  from  the  Bahia  Station. 


VIII 
Down  the  San  Francisco 

EMANCIPATION     PROCLAMATION — BOM     JESUS    DA 

LAPA AN    EVANGELICAL    OFFICIAL-— A    BIBLE 

BURNING. 

IT  was  Sunday,  May  the  27th,  and  just  at 
nightfall  the  mail  courier  arrived  at  Januaria 
from  Ouro  Preto,  bringing  the  news  that  on 
the  13th  the  act  of  the  absolute  and  unconditional 
abolition  of  slavery  had  been  signed  by  the  Prin- 
cess Isabel  at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  who  was  on  the 
throne  during  the  temporary  absence  in  Europe 
of  her  father,  the  Emperor. 

A  procession  was  at  once  organized,  and  the 
crowd  marched  through  the  streets  with  an  old 
band  of  music,  sending  off  fireworks  and  shout- 
ing at  a  great  rate.  The  slaves  about  the  place 
were  hearing  of  their  liberation  fourteen  days 
days  after  it  had  been  secured  by  imperial  sanc- 
tion. The  people  in  even  so  remote  a  section 
from  the  court  as  this  were  not  surprised  to  learn 
of  this,  for  a  law  of  gradual  emancipation  had 
been  in  force  for  several  years,  and  the  growing 
abolition  party  was  strong  and  active  in  the  gov- 
ernment. A  few  had  already  freed  their  slaves, 
179 


1 80  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

and  many  were  thinking  and  planning  for  the 
new  adjustment;  but  as  men  never  seem  fully 
prepared  for  such  changes  it  is  not  to  be  won- 
dered at  that  the  whole  social  order  of  the  coun- 
try was  disturoed  by  it,  especially  through  the 
agricultural  sections.  Many  rejoiced,  others 
quietly  acquiesced,  and  some  murmured,  but  no 
one  offered  resistance.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  the  act  has  had  a  most  beneficent  effect  upon 
the  social  and  economic  life  of  the  nation ;  but  it 
is  questionable  if  the  condition  of  the  blacks  in 
general  has  been  much  improved ;  they  have 
drifted  largely  to  the  towns  and  villages,  and  are 
rapidly  dying  from  the  use  and  abuse  of  rum. 
Since  the  colour  line  or  race  distinction  is  made 
little  or  nothing  of  in  Brazil,  there  is  no  reason 
why  these  blacks  and  their  children  might  not 
become  the  beneficiaries  of  whatever  wholesome 
social  influences  and  educational  advantages  the 
country  affords  for  the  poorer  classes.  A  few 
are  being  absorbed  into  the  new  social  order,  but 
the  mass  of  them  seem  destined  to  extermination 
through  indolence  and  rum. 

As  we  journeyed  down  the  river  for  several 
days  after  the  announcement  of  this  emancipa- 
tion act,  we  saw  numbers  of  the  ex-slaves  with 
little  bundles  of  clothes  on  their  arms  leaving  the 
homes  of  their  former  masters  and  wandering 
about  as  if  in  search  of  shelter  and  food.  They 
were  in  a  poor  condition  to  begin  the  struggle  of 
life  for  themselves,  and  there  was  no  provision 


Down  the  San  Francisco  i8i 

made  to  help  them.  Those  who  were  disposed 
to  work,  however,  soon  found  employment  on 
other  farms,  and  only  a  faithful  few  remained 
to  work  for  their  former  masters. 

The  next  stage  of  our  journey  was  to  Carinhan- 
has,  a  distance  of  loo  miles.  This  is  a  town  of 
about  1,500  inhabitants  in  the  State  of  Bahia 
just  across  the  dividing  line  from  Minas  Geraes. 
The  entire  district  or  county  of  which  this  is  the 
principal  town  has  a  population  of  more  than  10,- 
000.  We  stopped  at  several  very  small  villages 
and  a  few  country  settlements  along  the  banks 
of  the  river,  whose  inhabitants  were  living  in 
great  poverty  and  ignorance.  Their  mud  huts 
with  dirt  floors  and  thatched  roofs  were  of  the 
crudest  and  most  inferior  quality.  We  occa- 
sionally found  a  man  who  could  read  and  gen- 
erally succeeded  in  leaving  a  copy  of  the  Scrip- 
tures with  him. 

About  sixty  miles  from  Januaria  we  visited  the 
almost  deserted  village  of  Morrinhos  and  the 
ruins  of  a  very  large  Catholic  church,  whose 
two  massive  towers,  like  those  in  the  cities  of  Rio 
de  Janeiro  and  Bahia,  are  fairly  well  preserved 
and  may  be  seen  from  a  distance. 

The  village  once  numbered  thirty  or  more 
houses,  but  most  are  now  in  decay  and  ruins 
while  the  street  leading  up  from  the  river  bank 
to  the  old  church  is  given  up  to  weeds  and  grass, 
as  indeed  is  the  entire  village.  One  wonders  why 
and  how  and  when  this  massive  old  church  and 


1 82  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

its  dependencies  were  built.  It  is  generally  be- 
lieved that  it  owes  it  origin  to  the  piety  of  one 
Mathias  Cardozo  who,  in  the  early  history  of 
Minas  Geraes,  came  from  the  city  of  Sao  Paulo 
and  settled  in  the  wilds.  He  is  supposed  to  have 
begun  the  work  of  construction  and  his  son  Janu- 
ario,  who  sent  to  Bahia  for  carpenters  and  ma- 
sons, completed  it.  Much  of  the  work  was  done 
by  the  Indians.  Below  the  altar  is  a  broken  slab 
of  slate  with  the  inscription  ''  Here  lies  Januario 
Cardoso  de  Almeida."  There  is  no  date.  About 
forty  years  ago  a  man  died  in  the  village  at  the 
age  of  113  years,  who  said  the  tomb  was  there 
when  he  was  born. 

A  few  miles  down  the  river  from  this  deserted 
village  we  came  to  a  section  where  there  was  con- 
siderable cultivation  and  on  an  elevation  was  a 
large,  white,  new  two-story  house,  the  first  of  the 
kind  we  had  seen  in  that  part  of  the  valley. 

On  reaching  the  town  of  Carinhanhas  we  first 
visited  the  chief  of  police  and  other  authorities 
of  the  town  council  and  obtained  permission  to 
sell  our  books  through  the  streets.  The  priest  of 
the  town  was  the  most  violent  in  his  denuncia- 
tions of  us  and  our  Bibles  of  any  we  had  met  on 
the  river,  and  we  were  surprised  that  niany  of 
the  people  showed  some  spirit  of  liberality  and 
some  desire  to  hear  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel. 
During  the  canvass  of  the  town  I  found  that  there 
were  two  Bibles  already  in  the  place,  left  there 


Down  the  San  Francisco  183 

more  than  twenty  years  before  by  the  Spanish 
colporteur  above  referred  to  and  these  Bibles  had 
been  read  by  a  number  of  persons.  We  obtained 
a  house,  a  large  number  responded  to  our  invita- 
tion and  we  had  a  most  interesting  time  preach- 
ing to  them  Jesus  and  his  salvation.  There  were 
few  who  could  read  and  we  sold  only  eight  copies 
of  the  Scriptures  in  the  town,  but  the  mission- 
aries at  the  Bahia  Station  have  lately  had  in- 
teresting communications  from  that  place  and 
very  earnest  calls  to  go  there  and  establish  work. 
It  seems  that  quite  a  number  of  persons  have 
continued  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  and  are 
seeking  to   follow   Christ. 

From  this  point  the  course  of  the  river  is  quite 
straight  so  that  a  canoe  will  float  down  at  night 
with  little  difficulty.  We  spent  a  number  of 
nights  in  this  way,  occasionally  bumping  against 
the  bank,  but  seldom  having  sleep  much  dis- 
turbed. The  river  also  abounds  in  fish  and  we 
feasted  on  them  purchasing  from  the  fishermen 
at  very  insignificant  prices. 

In  April,  when  the  dry  season  sets  in,  the 
people  from  the  hill-sides  and  mountains  move 
down  to  plant  their  corn,  rice,  beans,  potatoes, 
mandioca,  etc.,  along  the  flat  banks  of  the  river 
where  there  is  a  deposit  of  white  sand.  There  is 
no  breaking  up  of  the  ground  needed ;  it  is  quite 
sufficient  to  make  a  hole  with  a  sharp  pointed 
stick,  drop  the  seed  in  and  cover  it.     The  soil 


1 84  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

underneath  the  deposit  of  sand  is  very  fertile  and 
furnishes  sufficient  moisture  for  the  growth  of  a 
crop  with  the  aid  of  comparatively  little  rain. 

Many  of  them  build  booths  or  shelters  of  palm 
and  other  branches  of  trees;  some  make  no 
shelter  at  all,  but  simply  take  up  their  abode  for 
four  or  five  months  under  the  spreading  Gamil- 
leira  or  other  trees.  They  generally  sleep  on  a 
kind  of  mat  made  of  coarse  reeds  woven  to- 
gether, have  very  few  cooking  utensils,  no  tables 
or  chairs,  eat  from  a  tin  pan  or  gourd  with  the 
hands,  knives  and  forks  and  spoons  being  of 
little  use  to  them  and  their  clothing  is  reduced  to 
a  few  simple  articles.  While  the  crops  are  grow- 
ing they  engage  in  fishing,  cutting  the  fish  in 
thin  slices,  salting  and  hanging  it  on  poles  in 
the  sun  to  dry.  At  the  beginning  of  this  season 
the  traders  come  up  the  river  in  canoes  with  sup- 
plies of  salt,  dry  goods,  etc.,  which  they  barter 
to  the  planters  for  the  beans,  rice,  dried  fish, 
hides,  etc.,  that  they  may  have  ready  a  few  months 
later.  Just  before  the  rains  set  in  the  traders 
begin  to  collect  their  pay  and  load  their  vessels 
for  the  homeward  voyage  and  are  ready  to  be 
borne  down  the  stream  by  the  first  freshet.  The 
planters  gather  up  a  portion  of  their  crops,  dried 
fish,  and  other  things,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the 
rainy  season,  about  October,  return  to  their  huts 
in  the  hills  and  mountains,  where  they  spend  the 
time  in  comparative  ease  and  idleness  until  the 
next  planting  season,  doing  little  except  as  they 


AN  EAGLE  INDIAN. 

(Amazon.) 


Down  the  San  Francisco  185 

kill  a  few  wild  animals  and  have  the  hides  dried 
for  the  river  trade. 

These  very  fertile  lands  some  day  will  be  made 
to  yield  more  abundantly  for  man's  comfort  and 
to  enrich  their  owners.  I  saw  stalks  of  cotton 
growing  without  cultivation  to  the  height  of 
seven  or  eight  feet,  from  which  I  gathered  beau- 
tiful white  bolls  which  I  submitted  to  a  com- 
petent person  in  Rio  de  Janeiro  who  pronounced 
it  a  very  excellent  quality  of  raw  cotton.  The 
possibilities  of  this  valley  are  really  unknown, 
and  doubtless  it  holds  much  wealth  and  comfort 
yet  to  be  developed  by  man. 

The  next  stage  of  our  journey  from  Carin- 
hanhas  was  about  eighty  miles  to  the  famous 
Rom  Jesus  da  Lapa  (Good  Jesus  of  the  Grotto). 
As  we  came  near  the  village  we  had  a  splendid 
view  of  what  is  popularly  known  as  the  "  crouch- 
ing lion,"  but  which  one  writer  has  termed  "  a 
headless  sphinx."  It  is  a  great  stone  about  six  or 
eight  hundred  feet  long,  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  wide  and  two  hundred  feet  high,  lying 
upon  a  dead  level.  It  is  remarkable  for  perpen- 
dicular lines  resembling  pinnacles,  and  the  sides 
jagged,  like  the  flying  buttresses  of  a  Gothic 
temple,  are  cut  up  into  angles  sharpened  by  the 
weather.  Deep  black  cracks,  at  altitudes  vary- 
ing from  ten  to  thirty  feet,  run  horizontally, 
forming  gigantic  courses  of  masonry.  The 
south-western  end  is  a  vertical  precipice,  with  a 
long  broad,  yellow  stripe,  where  the  stone  has 


1 86  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

been  removed.  The  colour  of  the  mass  generally 
is  grey  slate,  with  fine  crystals  of  the  whitest 
limestone.  In  the  southwest  end  is  a  natural 
grotto  about  eighty  to  one  hundred  feet  in 
length  and  varying  in  width  from  twenty-five  to 
fifty  feet. 

The  entrance  has  been  closed  with  a  strong 
wooden  door  which  is  fastened  with  a  iX)nderous 
lock.  Six  stone  steps  lead  up  to  this  door  and 
just  inside  there  is  an  apartment  like  a  kind  of 
vestibule  and  ten  steps  built  of  brick,  lead  up 
into  the  Holy  Grotto.  Near  the  entrance  the 
ceiling  is  flat  and  over  the  altar  it  is  somewhat 
arched,  though  it  is  irregular  throughout,  and  in 
many  places  there  are  numbers  of  stalactites,  also 
several  stalagmites,  one  near  the  door  being  of 
considerable  size.  The  altar  is  at  the  farther  end 
of  the  cave  on  a  raised  platform.  The  image  of 
Bom  Jesus  da  Lapa,  not  more  than  two  feet  in 
height,  is  incased  in  a  gaudy  shrine.  There  are 
said  to  be  a  number  of  graves  under  the  rickety 
and  decaying  wooden  floor  covering  the  part 
round  about  the  altar.  The  irregular  walls  are 
thickly  hung  with  figures  of  hands,  feet  and  other 
parts,  as  well  as  some  of  the  whole  body,  repre- 
senting cures  of  wounds,  bites  of  snakes  and 
poisonous  insects,  all  manner  of  diseases  and  de- 
formities performed  by  this  miracle-working  im- 
age. There  are  also  figures  of  animals  that  were 
likewise  supposed  to  have  been  cured  of  poison- 
ous bites.    The  devotees  made  vows  that  if  healed 


Down  the  San  Francisco  187 

they  would  make  such  figures  of  hands  or  the 
body  and  present  them  to  the  image.  These 
figures  hang  as  so  many  testimonials  of  the  faith- 
fully performed  vows. 

It  was  a  Saturday  afternoon  when  we  called  on 
the  priest  to  ask  permission  to  visit  this  remark- 
able shrine.  He  was  reported  as  not  feeling  well 
and  was  asleep ;  but  some  one  told  us  that  he  did 
not  care  to  have  us  profane  the  place.  We  finally 
found  the  sexton  who  kindly  showed  us  through 
the  temple.  He  pointed  out  a  recess  to  one  side 
where  it  is  said  the  hermit  was  buried.  Many 
pilgrims  and  worshippers  at  the  shrine  have 
carried  away  the  dust,  until  a  great  hole  has  been 
dug  in  the  floor ;  they  say  this  holy  dirt  will  cure 
all  manner  of  wounds  and  sores.  At  one  point 
the  water  drips  almost  constantly  from  the  ceil- 
ing and  the  devotees  call  it  miraculous  water, 
and  carry  it  away  in  bottles  to  the  sick  for  heal- 
ing and  for  restoring  strength. 

There  are  two  stories  on  record  as  to  the  origin 
of  this  image.  One,  that  it  was  brought  from 
Spain  by  a  rich  Spaniard,  who  took  up  his  abode 
in  the  grotto,  in  penance  for  his  sins ;  another 
that  it  appeared  to  a  monk  who  inhabited  the 
grotto  with  some  tigers. 

One  priest  afifirms  that  the  crucifix  is  about 
400  years  old,  which  dates  back  to  the  discovery 
of  rirazil,  and  that  it  was  worshipped  by  the 
red  men  before  it  was  discovered  by  the  Roman 
Catholics. 


1 88  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

Pilgrimages  to  the  temple  were  not  large  or 
very  frequent  until  about  i860;  from  that  date 
they  began  to  increase,  and  it  is  estimated  that 
as  many  as  25,000  persons  have  gone  annually  to 
worship  at  this  shrine.  It  is  believed  to  possess 
extraordinary  healing  power,  which  accounts  for 
the  almost  incredible  statement,  that  in  a  region 
so  sparsely  settled  25,000  pilgrims  come  annually 
to  worship.  These  poor  devotees  have  contrib- 
uted from  $8,000  to  $10,000  a  year  in  votive 
offerings  to  the  image;  the  iron  box  at  its  feet 
is  ever  ready  to  receive  all  contributions. 

Bom  Jesus  da  Lapa  in  the  year  1874  owned 
three  farms  well  stocked  with  cattle  and  horses, 
a  number  of  slaves  and  had  $50,000  in  cash.  Be- 
fore the  emancipation  act  of  1888  it  had  freed 
all  the  slaves,  but  is  still  in  possession  of  the 
farms,  and  always  has  plenty  of  ready  cash  on 
hand.  The  annual  election  of  the  board  of  ad- 
ministration for  the  brotherhood  is  an  occasion  of 
much  contention  and  political  wire  pulling,  since 
it  is  generally  believed  that  each  member  fills  his 
pockets  during  the  year.  A  project  was  on  foot 
a  few  years- ago  to  build  a  hospital  in  the  village 
to  cost  not  less  than  $40,000.  The  priest  in 
charge  is  the  chief  administrator  of  the  whole 
affair ;  at  the  annual  festival  in  August  he  invites 
his  special  friends,  priests,  to  take  part  with  him 
in  the  ceremonies  and  always  sends  them  away 
Vv'ith  a  full  purse. 

On  our  arrival  in  the  town  which  has  from 


Down  the  San  Francisco  189 

1,200  to  1,500  inhabitants,  we  asked  of  the  chief 
of  poHce  permission  to  sell  our  books  in  the 
streets  and  to  preach  if  we  could  make  suitable 
arrangements;  he  kindly  gave  permission  to  do 
the  former,  but  said  we  could  not  preach  with- 
out the  vicar's  permission.  We  very  soon  made  a 
canvass  of  the  community,  and  to  a  very  few  who 
could  read  we  sold  nine  copies  of  the  Scriptures. 
As  we  stood  very  near  the  famous  image  asking 
questions  of  the  sexton,  he  discovered  the  two 
books  I  had  in  hand,  and  when  told  what  they 
were  he  bought  a  Bible,  and  after  reading  a  few 
verses  he  carefully  put  it  in  the  drawer  of  a 
small  table  just  under  the  shrine. 

We  have  heard  several  times  since  from  the 
place  and  have  learned  that  our  efforts  were  not 
in  vain ;  several  persons  have  read  the  Scriptures 
and  are  anxious  to  have  the  missionaries  open 
work  there. 

The  next  section  of  our  voyage  was  a  distance 
of  about  185  miles  to  Cidade  de  Barra.  One 
night  we  went  ashore  and  pitched  our  tent  on  a 
spot  where  the  undergrowth  had  been  cut  away. 
Mosquitoes  and  miasma  were  abundant,  but  the 
men  made  up  a  good  fire  to  frighten  away  the 
wild  animals  and  snakes;  we  were  so  tired  that 
when  we  had  contrived  protection  from  the  mos- 
quitoes we  slept  so  soundly  that  no  one  remem.- 
bered  to  keep  up  the  fire.  By  and  by  we  v/ere 
awakened  by  the  noise  of  some  seemingly  gigan- 
tic animal,  breaking  through  the  bushes.     Soon 


190 


The  Bible  in  Brazil 


his  huge  body  was  discovered  and  as  we  fired  at 
him  he  bounded  away  with  a  yell.  The  boatmen 
built  up  the  fire  again  and  we  slept,  though  not 
very  soundly.  Presently  a  howling  wolf  ap- 
peared on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  hungry 
for  human  flesh,  but  the  broad  waters  were  our 
protection.  We  had  many  interesting  experi- 
ences along  the  way  where  we  stopped  to  offer 
the  Scriptures  and  to  talk  to  the  people  about 
Jesus.  I  was  astonished  at  the  absence  of  all 
progress  in  these  western  out-stations  of  the 
Great  Bahia  Province,  whose  chief  city  was  once 
the  metropolis  of  the  country,  and  whose  sea- 
board is  now  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and 
populous  portions  of  the  empire.  Every  thing 
that  we  see  denotes  poverty  and  neglect. 

Some  of  the  seed  sown  has  already  sprung  up ; 
a  missionary,  hearing  of  some  who  were  reading 
the  Bible,  and  who  desired  to  learn  more  of  the 
way  has  planned  to  follow  up  the  work.  We 
shall  expect  to  hear  by  and  by  that  the  charge 
of  ignorance,  poverty  and  neglect,  and  the  ab- 
sence of  all  progress,  can  no  longer  be  made 
against  the  inhabitants  of  that  section;  but  in- 
stead enlightenment,  holiness  and  prosperity 
will  characterize  the  valley  of  the  San  Francisco. 

The  Cidade  de  Barra  has  a  population  of  about 
6,000  and  shows  more  signs  of  life,  enterprise 
and  learning  than  any  place  visited  since  we  left 
Januaria,  about  400  miles  up  the  river.  This  is 
destined  to  become  some  day  an  important  place, 


Down  the  San  Francisco  191 

located  as  it  is  in  the  centre  of  a  district  with 
large  possibilities  for  agriculture  and  stock  rais- 
ing, where  the  Rio  Grande  empties  into  the  San 
Francisco.  It  is  distant  from  the  city  of  Bahia 
about  460  miles,  and  has  the  honour  of  being  the 
birthplace  of  the  Baron  of  Cotegipe,  who  was  for 
some  time  prime  minister  during  the  latter  years 
of  the  empire. 

On  entering  the  town  we  first  visited  the  chief 
of  police  to  obtain  permission  to  sell  our  books 
and  to  preach.  His  reply  was  you  have  the  pleas- 
ure of  talking  to  one  of  the  same  belief.  I  have 
for  several  years  desired  to  see  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  and  thank  God  he  has  come  at  last. 

He  soon  furnished  us  rooms  for  lodging,  se- 
cured to  us  ample  protection  and  opportunities  to 
carry  on  our  work,  and  sent  a  soldier  to  accom- 
pany us  through  the  streets.  This  was  a  new  ex- 
perience, going  through  the  streets  as  a  Bible 
colporteur  attended  by  a  soldier  in  imxperial  uni- 
form; quite  a  contrast  to  the  incident  recorded 
of  my  arrest  in  Santa  Luzia,  when  the  same  uni- 
form was  present  to  conduct  me  away  as  a  pris- 
oner. The  soldier  seemed  really  to  be  a  hin- 
drance rather  than  a  help  so  far  as  sales  were  con- 
cerned. As  the  people  knew  we  intended  preach- 
ing at  night,  they  declined  to  buy  that  day,  saying 
they  preferred  to  first  hear  the  preaching  and 
what  we  would  have  to  say  publicly  about  the 
Bible.  A  large  audience  assembled  and  filled  the 
room  to  overflowing,  with  still  a  large  crowd  in 


192  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

the  streets.  Being  under  the  police  protection 
everything  was  quiet  and  orderly  and  many  per- 
sons remained  to  talk  after  the  service.  We  had 
a  most  interesting  time  during  the  few  days  spent 
there,  and  sold  in  all  twenty-nine  copies  of  the 
Word  of  God. 

Upon  further  inquiry  I  found  that  the  chief 
of  police  had  obtained  his  Bible  seven  years  be- 
fore from  a  brother  of  his  living  quite  a  distance 
in  the  country,  who  had  bought  it  from  the  col- 
porteur passing  through  that  valley  some  twenty 
years  before.  He  gave  good  evidence  of  having 
read  and  studied  the  Word  to  good  purpose. 
The  brother  likewise,  from  all  we  could  learn, 
had  been  truly  converted  through  reading  the 
written  Word. 

One  day,  as  I  passed  along  the  outskirts  of  the 
town  where  a  crazy  man  was  chained  like  some 
mad  beast  to  the  limb  of  a  great  tree,  I  came  to  a 
little  mud  hut  where  the  rickety  door  stood  ajar. 
A  feeble  voice  invited  me  to  come  in.  There  lay 
an  aged  man  in  a  hammock.  I  at  once  began  to 
tell  him  about  the  book  and  the  precious  Saviour 
therein  revealed.  With  feeble  and  trembling 
hand  he  took  from  a  little  old  box  at  his  side  a 
small  copy  of  the  New  Testament  and  handed  it 
to  me,  saying,  "  I  know  all  about  it ;  for  nineteen 
years  I  have  been  reading  it,  and  trying  to  follow 
its  teachings."  He  told  me  how  he  had  been  so 
wonderfully  led  into  the  light  and  joy  of  salva- 
tion through  the  reading  and  prayer.     He  said, 


Down  the  San  Francisco  193 

"  I  am  an  old  man,  sick,  and  will  soon  die,  but 
I  thank  God  I  have  learned  that  my  soul  does  not 
have  to  go  to  purgatory,  where  my  release  must 
depend  upon  the  good  fortune  of  having  money 
or  friends  to  pay  for  mass  to  secure  my  deliver- 
ance; I  have  the  assurance  from  this  book  and 
the  witness  in  my  heart  that  my  spirit  will  go 
immediately  into  the  presence  of  my  blessed 
Saviour." 

By  this  time  our  stock  of  books  was  running 
low,  so  we  decided  not  to  make  long  delays  at 
any  of  the  places  to  be  visited  in  the  remaining 
nearly  700  miles  that  lay  between  us  and  the  sea. 
The  most  important  villages  and  towns  visited 
were  Porto  Alegre,  Pilao  Arcado,  Remanso, 
Santa  Se,  Casa  Nova  and  Santa  Anna.  We  sold 
in  these  places  forty-three  copies  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, conversed  with  a  number  of  persons  and 
preached  a  few  times. 

At  Santa  Anna  a  government  commission  was 
just  finishing  a  channel  through  the  Sobradinho 
rapids.  The  little  steamer,  Presidente  Dantas, 
was  going  down  the  river  to  Boa  Vista  a  distance 
of  135  miles  and  the  chief  invited  us  to  a  free 
ride,  which  we  gratefully  accepted. 

The  town  of  Joazeiro  is  well  situated  on  a  bank 
about  twenty-five  feet  above  low  water  level 
where  the  river  has  seldom  been  known  to  over- 
flow its  banks.  The  river  at  this  point  is  about 
2,500  feet  wide,  and  quite  deep,  thus  affording 
abundant  room  for  the  many  boats  that  are  des- 


194  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

tined  some  day  to  ply  its  waters.  As  a  com- 
mercial centre  it  will  be  perhaps  the  St.  Louis  of 
the  San  Francisco.  It  is  already  connected  with 
Bahia  by  railway,  a  distance  of  about  370  miles: 
the  distance  from  the  city  of  Pernambuco  is 
about  550,  one-third  of  which  is  covered  already 
by  the  San  Francisco  railway  and  there  are 
seventy-five  miles  of  easy  navigation  down 
stream,  open  to  vessels  of  light  draft. 

This  will  become  some  day  an  important  centre 
for  the  evangelization  of  the  thousands  that  in- 
habit this  great  valley  and  its  water  sheds.  Our 
time  and  supply  of  Scriptures  were  limited,  so 
we  sold  only  a  few  copies  of  the  Word  and  talked 
with  a  number  of  persons  about  the  Gospel. 
During  the  last  ten  years  our  colporteurs  have 
visited  the  place  several  times  and  numbers  of 
Scriptures  have  been  sold  which  are  bringing 
forth  gracious  results. 

We  went  down  the  river  seventy-five  miles  by 
boat  to  the  village  of  Boa  Vista,  where  we  sold 
eighteen  copies  of  the  Scriptures.  There  we 
engaged  a  large  canoe  to  carry  us  over  the 
rapids,  a  distance  of  about  155  miles  to 
Jatoba,  just  above  the  Paulo  Affonso  falls. 
This  was  by  far  the  most  exciting  anrl  dan- 
gerous part  of  the  voyage.  At  times  the 
curves  were  so  sharp  that  the  turn  could  only 
be  made  in  the  rushing  waters  by  men  standing  in 
the  bow  of  the  boat  with  long  poles  which  they 
thrust  against  the  rocks,  and  with  a  strenuous 


Down  the  San  Francisco  195 

effort  would  keep  us  in  the  curving  stream. 
Finally  one  of  the  men  failed  to  manipulate  his 
pole  at  the  right  minute  and  the  mad  waters 
drove  us  with  a  crash  against  the  jutting  stones. 
It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  we  man- 
aged to  get  safely  to  land.  We  patched  up  our 
boat  and  reached  the  village  of  Cobrobo  by  con- 
stantly bailing  out  the  water.  There  we  secured 
another  bark  and  went  on  our  way  down  the  wild 
and  dangerous  rapids  to  Jatoba. 

In  the  region  between  Joazeiro  and  Jatoba 
there  are  many  islands,  upon  which  the  Jesuits 
years  ago  erected  a  number  of  large  churches, 
some  of  which  are  now  in  ruins.  Burton  writes 
of  this  section,  "  We  now  enter  the  headquarters 
of  the  extinct  Jesuit  missions,  a  land  of  ruins, 
strange  in  a  country  so  young;  and  we  see  with 
astonishment  that  more  than  a  century  ago  the 
neighbourhood  was  much  more  advanced  than 
it  is  at  present.  The  Jesuits  certainly  taught  their 
converts  the  civilization  of  labour,  and  now  the 
village  Indians  have  allowed  their  chapels  to 
fall,  and  are  fast  relapsing  into  decay."  The 
images  from  many  of  these  ruins  have  been  re- 
moved to  the  Church  at  Boa  Vista,  which  now 
boasts  the  largest  collection  of  these  objects  of 
worship  to  be  found  in  any  church  in  all  that 
section.  I  was  specially  impressed  with  the  mag- 
nificent proportions  of  four  of  those  temples, 
dedicated  respectively  to  Santa  Maria,  Santo  An- 
tonio, Sao  Miguel,  and  Sao  Felix.    Bats,  lizards, 


196  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

pigeons,  spiders  and  other  insects  are  the  only  in- 
habitants of  three  of  them.  When  we  came  to 
the  last  one,  our  boatmen  all  went  into  the  old 
church  to  pray  and  cast  their  money  in  the  box. 
This  image  is  said  to  preside  over  that  section  of 
the  dangerous  rapids,  and  only  those  obtain  a 
safe  passage  who  pay  and  pray.  They  took  great 
interest  in  showing  us  the  richly  incased  image, 
hoping  that  we  might  be  induced  to  follow  their 
example.  They  were  much  alarmed,  and  for 
awhile  it  seemed  as  if  they  would  refuse  to  at- 
tempt a  further  journey  with  us  unless  we  con- 
tributed something  to  the  image.  They  gave  a 
sigh  of  relief  when  we  had  landed  safely  below 
the  last  rapids. 

We  landed  safely  at  Jatoba  and  secured  lodg- 
ing for  the  night  at  the  principal  hotel  in  the 
place.  Our  beds  were  hammocks  in  a  long  room 
that  accommodated  about  a  dozen  men.  From  Ja- 
toba to  Piranhas  below  the  Paulo  Affonso  falls, 
a  distance  of  about  seventy  miles  was  made  by 
rail,  and  from  there  by  boat  to  Pao  de  Assucar, 
about  twenty-five  miles.  Saturday  night,  late, 
we  landed  at  the  town  of  Traipu.  My  presence 
in  the  town  was  soon  noised  abroad;  the  priest 
spoke  at  mass  against  me  and  a  mob  was  or- 
ganized to  kill  or  drive  me  out  of  the  place.  It 
was  with  difficulty  that  I  made  my  escape  Sun- 
day afternoon,  and  took  shelter  under  a  great 
spreading  tree  some  distance  down  the  river  on 
the  opposite  shore  from  the  town.     The  voyage 


Down  the  San  Francisco 


197 


from  Penedo  to  Aracaju  was  made  at  night  in 
a  great  tempest  and  for  several  hours  our  small 
vessel  without  a  cargo  was  blown  about  upon  the 
raging  waves  almost  as  if  it  had  been  an  empty 
gourd.  I  felt  that  it  was  a  kind  Providence  that 
saved  us  from  a  watery  grave. 

At  that  time  two  colporteurs  were  working  in 
Aracaju  and  those  from  the  State  of  Bahia  had 
extended  their  work  into  this  region.  So  much 
interest  resulted  from  this  labour  that  a  station 
of  the  Presbyterian  mission  had  already  been 
opened  at  Larangeiras,  a  city  of  about  5,000  in- 
habitants, which  became  afterwards  a  centre  of 
our  Bible  work.  There  was  the  usual  opposition 
on  the  part  of  the  priesthood  and  one  priest  made 
special  efforts  to  gather  up  and  destroy  every 
Bible  that  he  could  lay  hands  on.  He  collected 
quite  a  box  of  books  and  one  day  invited  all  the 
town  to  witness  the  burning.  He  made  a  bonfire 
in  front  of  a  great  wooden  cross  standing  on  a 
hill  overlooking  the  town,  and  threw  the  books 
in  one  at  a  time,  naming  one  WicklifT,  another 
John  Knox,  Luther,  Wesley  and  so  on  until  he 
had  gone  through  the  list  of  prominent  Protes- 
tant leaders  and  reformers.  The  first  effect  of  this 
was  to  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the  people 
of  the  priest's  authority  and  power.  Some,  how- 
ever, were  disgusted  and  there  followed  a  re- 
action, from  which  time  the  cause  of  truth  has 
prospered.  In  every  case  Bible  burning,  which 
has  been  frequent  throughout  Brazil,  has  done 


198  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

much  to  advertise  the  sacred  Scriptures  and  thus 
many  have  read  and  examined  the  book  which 
was  said  by  the  priests  to  be  so  pernicious. 

The  voyage  down  the  coast  from  Bahia  to  Rio 
on  one  of  Her  British  Majesty's  Royal  Mail 
steamers  was  a  marvelous  contrast  to  the  voyage 
in  the  dug-out  ''  Good  News  "  on  the  San  Fran- 
cisco. This  entire  journey  occupied  four  months, 
from  March  27th  to  July  26th.  We  travelled  the 
first  680  miles  by  rail,  then  about  400  miles  on 
horseback  to  reach  the  point  where  the  real  Bible 
work  of  the  journey  began,  though  many  copies 
of  the  Scriptures  were  distributed  as  we  passed 
over  these  highlands.  Then  came  about  1,590 
miles  in  canoes,  save  a  short  run  by  steamer,  and 
when  we  reached  the  seacoast  we  were  about  900 
miles  from  Rio,  making  the  total  for  the  four 
months  3,570  miles. 

We  visited  about  fifty  towns  and  villages,  be- 
sides numerous  intervening  country  settlements, 
many  of  which  had  never  before  been  visited  by 
missionary  or  Bible  colporteur.  We  preached  to 
hundreds  of  persons  who  had  never  before  heard 
the  Gospel  and  put  into  circulation  about  one  thou- 
sand two  hundred  copies  of  the  Scripture.  The 
experiences  and  observations  of  the  journey  have 
enabled  us  to  plan  and  carry  forward  for  twelve 
years  aggressive  colportage  work  through  the 
great  interior  of  Bahia,  Minas  Geraes,  Goyaz, 
Pemambuco  and  other  States. 


IX 

Pernambuco 

POWER   OF   SOCIAL   INFLUENCE — DUTCH   AND    POR- 
TUGUESE     PAR  AH  YB  A   CEARA READING 

UNDER   DIFFICULTIES. 

AUGUST  29,  1889,  I  embarked  on  Her 
British  Majesty's  Royal  Mail  steamer, 
"  Atrato "  for  Pernambuco,  to  begin  a 
journey  through  the  northern  provinces  and  up 
the  Amazon  River.  Our  run  from  Rio  to  Bahia, 
a  distance  of  thirty-five  miles  was  made  in  ex- 
actly forty-eight  hours,  and  was  said  to  be  the 
first  run  made  in  that  time. 

We  next  anchored  at  the  port  of  Maceio,  a 
city  of  about  30,000  inhabitants.  It  is  well  laid 
out,  lighted  with  electricity,  has  street  cars,  and 
is  connected  by  a  railroad  with  the  interior  and 
the  city  of  Pernambuco. 

Several  years  previous  to  my  first  arrival  there 
the  place  had  been  visited  by  the  colporteurs ;  and 
such  was  the  interest  awakened  by  the  reading  of 
their  Bibles  that  the  Presbyterian  missionaries 
from  Pernambuco  were  induced  to  establish 
regular  v^ork  in  the  city,  placing  a  native 
preacher  in  charge.  One  of  my  first  efforts  to 
199 


aoo  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

carry  forward  the  work  was  to  send  a  colporteur 
from  Sergipe,  who  made  a  journey  across  the 
province  to  Pernambuco  by  one  route  and  re- 
turned by  another.  The  work  has  gone  steadily 
forward,  and  has  spread  throughout  the  entire 
state.  These  visits  of  the  colporteurs  have  been 
seconded  by  the  missionaries  and  their  helpers, 
and  more  recently  the  Baptists  have  established 
a  mission  station  there,  and  are  meeting  with 
good  success. 

The  distance  by  sea  from  Bahia  to  Maceio  is 
270  miles,  and  from  Maceio  to  Pernambuco  120 
miles.  We  anchored  off  this  latter  port  on  the 
morning  of  September  3rd,  and  waited  for  day. 
Our  steamer  was  of  too  deep  draft  to  enter  the 
harbour  and  as  the  sea  was  very  rough,  disem- 
barking was  dangerous  and  expensive.  An 
Italian  trader,  engaged  exclusively  in  the  expor- 
tation of  goat  skins,  and  I  were  the  only  passen- 
gers to  be  landed.  A  row  boat  with  half  a  dozen 
oarsmen  came  near  and  we  climbed  down  the  side 
of  the  ship  by  a  rope  ladder,  dropping  in  as  the 
boat  swept  by  on  the  crest  of  a  passing  wave.  This 
process  had  to  be  repeated  several  times  in  order 
to  secure  the  two  passengers  and  the  baggage. 
Then  came  the  row  of  two  miles  over  the  waves 
until  we  swept  through  the  passage  in  the  coral 
reef  and  were  soon  in  calm  water  in  the  harbour. 

The  real  name  of  the  city  of  Pernambuco  is 
Recife  (reef),  taken  from  a  most  remarkable 
coral  reef  that  extends  for  many  miles  along  that 


Pernambuco  201 

part  of  the  coast  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
shore.  In  front  of  the  city  this  reef  is  about  thirty 
feet  wide,  flat  on  the  top,  and  its  perpendicular 
sides  present  very  much  the  appearance  of  an 
artificial  wall.  The  entrance  to  the  port  is 
through  a  break  in  the  reef,  but  a  sandbar  makes 
it  impossible  for  any  but  light  craft  vessels  to 
cross  except  at  high  tide.  The  city  itself  is 
built  on  two  long,  narrow  peninsulas,  formed  by 
two  small  rivers  and  the  ocean,  and  connected  by 
iron  and  stone  bridges.  In  the  oldest  part  of  the 
town  the  streets  are  narrow  and  crooked,  but  on 
the  other  and  larger  peninsula  the  blocks  of 
houses  are  larger,  the  streets  wider,  there  are 
tram  cars  and  good  stores.  It  is  not  as  pictur- 
esque as  Gahia  or  Rio  de  Janeiro,  has  a  more 
modern  air  than  either,  but  looks  also  more 
cleanly  and  prosperous. 

The  most  easterly  city  on  the  Brazilian  coast, 
and  located  at  a  convenient  distance  between 
northern  and  southern  ports,  Pernambuco 
has  a  commerce  of  very  considerable  importance 
and  is  the  great  sugar  export  market  of  Brazil. 

With  a  population  of  about  190,000,  the  city 
offers  a  promising  field  for  colportage;  but  to 
find  the  man  with  the  peculiar  gifts  necessary 
has  been  a  matter  of  much  concern  for  more  than 
ten  years.  At  different  times  men  have  done 
good  work,  and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  in- 
habitants have  had  an  opportunity  of  purchasing 
the  Word  of  God.     Some  thousands  of  copies 


202  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

have  been  sold,  and  the  reading  of  many  of  them 
has  been  blessed  to  the  enlightenment  and  salva- 
tion of  a  number  of  souls.  One  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful attempts  w^as  made  in  1900,  by  Mr.  F.  C. 
Glass  and  Mr.  G.  F.  Shiflersmith,  who  were  sent 
up  from  Rio  for  a  few  months.  A  native  Chris- 
tian, Sr.  Manoel  C.  Alves,  was  engaged  and 
trained  by  them  for  the  work;  he  still  continues 
in  that  field.  One  of  the  three  sold  in  fifty-five 
days  740  copies  of  the  Scriptures,  another  in 
thirty-two  days  504  copies,  and  the  third  in 
twenty-five  days  401  copies;  the  general  average 
for  each  being  about  fifteen  copies  per  day.  It 
is  noticeable  that  the  native  colporteur  has  not 
done  as  well  since  the  two  foreigners  removed  to 
another  field.  One  of  the  men  wrote  me  shortly 
after  their  arrival  in  the  city : 

*'  So  far  we  have  sold  100  Bibles,  125  Testa- 
ments, and  about  160  Gospels,  in  about  nine  days. 
I  suppose  that  seventy  per  cent  of  all  the  Bibles 
and  Testaments  were  sold  after  first  encountering 
a  blank  refusal  to  purchase.  It  takes  more  ang- 
ling, so  to  speak,  to  land  a  Bible  than  the  cutest 
trout  will  need.  Otherwise  we  have  not  yet  met 
with  more  opposition  than  we  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  in  the  south." 

Later  the  other  wrote :  "  So  far  we  have  met 
more  ridicule  than  real  opposition,  though  many 
seem  ready  to  insinuate  that  we  are  liars  and  de- 
ceivers, to  be  avoided  and  shunned.  It  is  very 
difficult  to  persuade  a  man  to  reason  fairly  and 


Pernambuco  20^ 

justly,  but  they  seem  to  base  all  their  arguments 
on  the  superstitious  fables  and  slanders  and  ma- 
licious misrepresentations  of  the  priests.  They 
even  deny  the  New  Testament  of  their  own 
Church,  approved  by  the  Pope,  insisting  that  the 
New  Testament  is  a  book  of  the  new  sect,  as 
they  call  the  Protestants  here."  These  men  did 
systematic  work,  canvassing  from  house  to  house, 
and  their  reports  show  that  one  man  in  one  day 
sold  fifty-seven  copies,  another  fifty-six,  another 
thirty-four  and  so  on.  The  success  of  the  two  men 
from  Rio  was  due  in  a  measure  to  the  fact  that 
they  were  foreigners.  (3ur  native  colporteurs 
are  usually  men  of  limited  abilities,  and  apt 
to  be  easily  overcome,  discouraged,  and  driven 
away  in  the  face  of  a  little  scorn,  opposi- 
tion, and  indifference  from  the  people.  An- 
other fact  also  that  militates  greatly  against 
the  native  colporteur  and  his  work  is  the 
contempt  in  which  converts  from  Romanism  are 
held  by  the  masses  generally.  Many  think  it  is 
all  right  for  the  foreigner,  who  was  born  and 
brought  up  in  the  Protestant  faith  to  follow  that 
way  and  even  engage  in  the  active  work  of  propa- 
gating his  religion.  But  for  a  native  Brazilian, 
who  was  brought  up  a  Roman  Catholic  to  aposta- 
tize and  become  a  Protestant  is  intolerable ;  such 
are  held  in  great  disdain,  and  by  some  are  con- 
sidered unworthy  of  respect.  It  is  difficult  for 
the  foreigner  to  realize  fully  the  position  in  which 
the  native  convert  is  placed  when  he  abandons 


204  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

the  religion  of  his  country  and  of  his  ancestors. 
Rome's  assumption  of  the  claim  to  be  the  only 
true  Church  with  an  infallible  head,  a  regular 
and  uninterrupted  transmission  of  ministerial  au- 
thority through  bishops  and  priests,  and  an  elabo- 
rate form  of  ceremonial  worship,  has  through 
centuries  maintained  a  firm  hold  upon  the  minds 
of  the  masses.  Many  religious  rites  and  cere- 
monies have  become  social  customs,  inseparable 
from  the  real  social  life  of  the  people.  For  one 
to  abandon  these  is  in  a  great  measure  to  ostra- 
cize himself  from  his  people.  The  reader  must 
bear  in  mind  that  we  are  not  discussing  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  employment  of  native  workers,  but 
simply  stating  some  facts.  We  believe  that 
Apostolic  precedent  and  the  tendency  in  modern 
missions  are  decidedly  in  favour  of  recruiting 
workers  in  the  countries  to  be  evangelized;  and 
both  the  missionary  and  the  Church  at  home  must 
learn  to  have  patience  with  them  and  to  sympa- 
thize with  the  many  difficulties  that  confront 
these  men  of  God. 

A  few  years  ago  a  native  colporteur,  who  was 
on  his  way  to  the  State  of  Parahyba  attempted 
during  the  voyage  to  do  some  Gospel  work 
among  the  crew  and  second  class  passengers ;  but 
some  of  the  officers  and  others  on  the  vessel,  who 
looked  upon  him  as  a  despised  apostate,  bribed 
men  to  give  a  false  testimony  against  him,  caus- 
ing his  arrest  and  imprisonment  on  the  ship's  ar- 
rival at  Pernambuco.    A  telegram  was  sent  to  the 


Pernambuco 


205 


chief  of  police  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  inquiring  if  the 
man  was  in  the  employ  of  such  an  institution  as 
the  American  Bible  Society.  I  gave  full  infor- 
mation as  to  the  Society  and  its  work,  and  also 
concerning  the  colporteur,  upon  the  receipt  of 
which  an  order  was  issued  for  his  release.  But 
before  this  was  accomplished  the  vessel  had  sailed 
for  other  ports  while  the  colporteur  was  left  be- 
hind, losing  his  passage. 

The  city  of  Pernambuco,  notwithstanding  the 
efficient  work  done  by  the  two  men  above  referred 
to,  is,  Hke  all  the  cities  of  Brazil,  waiting  for  a 
systematic  and  thorough  canvass  by  efficient  col- 
porteurs. 

Another  and  in  some  respects  more  difficult 
problem  to  be  solved  was  that  of  reaching  the 
nearly  1,000,000  of  inhabitants  scattered  through 
the  entire  province.  The  territory  to  be  traversed 
is  in  width  from  north  to  south  about  125  miles 
and  in  length  from  east  to  west  about  635  miles. 
A  number  of  towns  and  settlements  along  the  sea- 
coast  and  the  larger  rivers  may  be  reached  by 
boats.  Railroad  enterprise  has  in  recent  years 
had  some  development,  and  there  are  now  about 
450  miles  of  road  in  operation,  extending  from 
the  city  by  three  main  lines  in  different  directions. 
The  longest  of  these  lines  is  not  more  than  165 
miles,  which  is  only  about  one-fourth  of  the  en- 
tire length  of  the  state.  From  these  statements 
it  will  be  readily  seen  that  the  colporteur  in  order 
to  reach  a  very  large  section  of  the  State  with  his 


2o6  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

books  must  resort  to  the  indispensable  pack-mule, 
and,  as  the  custom  in  that  section  is,  go  himself 
on  foot. 

Efforts  to  distribute  the  Scriptures  and  to 
preach  the  Gospel  have  revealed  the  fact  that  the 
people  through  the  great  interior  of  this  state  are 
among  the  most  fanatical  and  violent  in  their 
opposition  to  the  truth  to  be  found  anywhere  in 
Brazil.  History  records  that  the  Dutch  were 
very  cruel  in  their  treatment  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic priests  during  the  invasion;  those  residing  in 
the  conquered  provinces  were  required  to  take  the 
oath  of  fidelity,  and  those  entering  without  a  safe 
conduct  were  to  be  imprisoned.  Finally  the 
members  of  every  monastic  order  were  com- 
manded to  quit  the  Dutch  possessions  within  a 
month,  and  repair  to  an  island  from  whence  they 
would  be  conveyed  across  the  ocean. 

When  the  Portuguese  regained  possession  of 
that  section,  the  Roman  Catholics  and  their  re- 
ligious orders  at  once  entered  anew  upon  their 
work ;  they  most  naturally  remembered  with 
much  hatred  the  cruelty  of  the  Dutch,  and  took 
occasion  to  instill  into  the  minds  of  their  con- 
verts and  followers  a  spirit  of  revenge  towards 
the  adherents  of  the  Reformed  religion.  Nearly 
250  years  have  passed  since  these  sad  scenes  were 
enacted,  but  I  think  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  Protestant  efforts  to  circulate  the  Scriptures 
and  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  that  region  to-day 
encounter   the   consequences   of   a   mistaken  re- 


Pernambuco 


1207 


ligious  zeal,  which  in  the  one  instance  was  char- 
acterized by  cruelty,  and  in  the  other  by  ven- 
geance. 

The  colporteurs  have  pushed  the  circulation  of 
the  Scriptures  up  and  down  the  coast,  along  the 
railroads,  and  in  many  directions  through  the 
rural  and  remote  districts.  The  missionaries  co- 
operating with  them  and  following  up  the  in- 
terest awakened  by  the  reading  of  the  Word 
have  preached  in  a  number  of  places  and  have 
permanently  established  work  in  several  towns 
and  villages.  These  efforts  have  been  carried  on 
amid  much  opposition  and  at  times  violent  per- 
secution. 

The  party  of  three,  to  whose  work  In  the  city 
of  Pernambuco,  reference  has  been  made,  follow- 
ing instructions,  made  a  journey  into  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  State ;  one  of  them  wrote  the  fol- 
lowing interesting  account  of  their  visit  to  two 
important  towns :  "  On  ]\Ionday  we  left  early 
taking  a  big  box  of  books  and  our  helper,  Manoel 
Alves,  to  try  two  of  the  largest  and  most  fanatical 
towns  in  the  interior  of  the  State. 

"  We  reached  Timbauba  at  midday,  and  by  two 
o'clock  had  obtained  permission  of  the  prefect 
and  started  work :  we  met  no  open  opposition,  but 
it  Avas  hard  ground.  We  had  a  number  of  lively 
and  interesting  conversations  in  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal stores,  sometimes  with  quite  an  audience, 
and  every  time  we  came  off  more  than  conquer- 
ors.   We  left  there  Wednesday  noon,  having  sold 


2o8  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

170  books,  seventy-three  of  which  were  Bibles 
and  Testaments.  We  also  left  quite  a  number  of 
persons  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  Word. 

**  Wednesday  night  we  reached  Limocira,  an- 
other good-sized  town,  said  to  be  more  fanatical 
than  the  other.  Next  morning  we  started  sell- 
ing without  a  license,  as  we  could  not  see  the 
authorities  until  nine  o'clock.  We  had  scarcely 
begun  when  an  official  met  us  with  a  warning  not 
to  sell  until  we  obtained  a  license.  So  we  stopped 
and  Brother  Glass  went  to  see  the  authorities. 
They  conferred  with  each  other  and  put  every 
thuig  they  could  in  his  way,  but  he  would  not 
be  put  off.  Just  then  in  came  the  official  in  a 
rage,  saying  that  there  were  a  whole  lot  of  those 
fellows,  and  that  they  had  already  sold  a  number 
of  books  and  they  ought  to  be  fined  for  it.  The 
delcgado  took  the  list  of  articles,  and  after  look- 
ing it  over  said  that  books  were  not  included,  so 
they  could  do  nothing  at  all  but  let  us  go  on 
selling. 

"  We  put  Sr.  Manocl  right  into  the  principal 
part  of  the  street,  partly  to  see  how  he  would 
*  stand  fire,'  as  we  were  sure  the  opposition  would 
be  greatest  there;  this  was  his  first  real  testing, 
and  he  stood  it  like  true  steel.  Almost  at  once  a 
crowd  gathered,  yelling  and  insulting  him.  They 
pinned  cotton  to  his  coat  tails,  told  him  that  I 
had  already  been  taken  to  prison,  and  insulted 
him  in  ways  quite  unmentionable,  but  he  actually 
laughed  them  right  out  of  their  own  game.    He 


Pernambuco 


209 


went  up  to  one  old  man,  who  was  standing  in 
front  of  his  store  hissing  and  yelling,  and  said, 
'  Well  this  is  a  fine  spectacle ;  an  old,  gray- 
bearded  man  like  you  out  here  in  the  street  yell- 
ing like  a  schoolboy/  The  old  fellow  turned  and 
slunk  away  inside. 

"  The  mob  evidently  concluded  that  it  was  not 
worth  while  to  follow  a  man  who  laughed  at  their 
insults,  and  let  him  go.  Within  a  stone's  throw 
of  the  place  he  sold  three  Testaments  in  one  shop, 
and  a  little  farther  on  a  Bible,  besides  giving  a 
good  testimony  of  the  truth  of  the  books  he  had. 
All  during  the  day  he  showed  splendid  courage 
and  had  splendid  success. 

"  A  few  minutes  later  the  same  mob  met  me 
a  little  farther  down  the  street  and  repeated  the 
same  thing.  I  was  in  a  large  store,  and  closing 
my  bag  of  books  I  put  it  on  top  of  a  box  behind 
me  and  turned  and  faced  them.  I  just  simply 
looked  at  them,  praying  inwardly  to  the  Lord, 
and  every  time  I  caught  the  eye  of  one  of  them 
he  turned  away  like  a  whipped  dog.  But  the 
worst  of  them,  a  fellow  who  was  leading  a  goat 
by  a  string  tried  several  times  to  reanimate  the 
crowd,  but  every  time  he  failed.  I  never  felt 
the  power  of  the  Lord  so  sensibly  with  me  before. 

"  The  crowd  had  gathered  into  groups  of  five 
or  six  about  the  store,  and  then  the  Lord  opened 
my  mouth,  enabling  me  to  talk  very  straight  and 
plainly  to  them.  I  told  them  that  I  did  not  care 
for  their  insults,  but  I  did  pity  their  dense  ignor- 


2IO  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

ance.  I  told  them  that  if  they  had  ever  read  these 
books  that  I  was  offering,  or  if  they  knew  any- 
thing about  them,  they  would  never  think  of 
doing  such  things  as  they  were  doing.  I  chal- 
lenged them  to  go  and  bring  the  priests'  Bible  to 
compare  with  mine,  but  no  one  cared  to  do  so. 
After  a  good  talk  about  the  Word  and  the  reason 
of  this  propaganda,  during  which  several  of  them 
were  visible  impressed,  I  left  them,  and  there 
was  no  more  demonstration  at  all. 

"  We  sold  twenty-three  Bibles  and  Testaments 
and  a  goodly  number  of  Gospels  and  would  have 
sold  more,  but  a  number  of  people  who  really 
wanted  the  Bible  were  afraid  to  buy  it  because  of 
the  rabble.  A  few  months  ago  a  young  man  who 
had  accepted  the  Gospel  there  had  his  room 
broken  into  by  a  mob  and  all  his  books  and  cloth- 
ing destroyed.  But  the  truth  of  God  is  at  work, 
and  we  believe  will  triumph  there  as  in  so  many 
other  places." 

One  of  our  colporteurs  went  more  recently  to 
visit  a  town  in  the  interior  of  the  State  and  was 
offering  his  books  to  quite  a  number  of  persons 
who  had  gathered  around  him  in  the  street.  One 
of  the  number  took  two  of  the  Bibles  in  his  hand 
and  the  colporteur,  supposing  that  he  was  going 
to  examine  them,  went  on  talking  to  the  others. 
Soon  the  man  stepped  up  and  handed  him  the  two 
Bibles  torn  all  to  pieces,  and  said  that  he  had 
been  to  the  priest  of  the  town  to  know  if  they 
were  true  and  good  books.  The  priest  after  look- 


Pernambuco  211 

ing  at  them  for  a  little  while  told  him  that  they 
were  bad  books,  and  that  every  one  of  them  ought 
to  be  treated  as  he  was  treating  those  two,  as  he 
continued  tearing  them  to  pieces.  He  sent  the 
man  back  with  them  to  the  colporteur.  Another 
priest,  who  is  a  representative  from  that  district 
in  the  State  Legislature,  was  present  at  the  time 
and  gave  his  sanction  to  the  performance  and  to 
the  advice  to  have  the  colporteur  murdered.  The 
priest  told  the  man  that  the  colporteur  ought  to 
be  killed,  and  that  it  would  not  be  a  crime  to  put 
him  to  death.  The  crowd  around  was  aroused, 
became  excited,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty 
that  the  colporteur  escaped  from  the  place  alive. 
Many  more  incidents  of  opposition  and  vio- 
lence to  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  that 
State  might  be  recorded,  but  these  may  suffice 
to  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  what  the  labour- 
ers and  the  converts  have  to  suffer  for  their 
Master's  sake.  It  is  gratifying,  however,  to 
record  that  the  efforts  thus  far  put  forth  have 
been  fruitful  of  good  results.  Many  have  been 
converted  to  Christ  and  His  love  through  the 
reading  of  the  Word,  and  the  missionaries  and 
native  workers  have  already  gathered  quite  a 
number  of  interesting  groups  of  believers  in  the 
city  and  throughout  the  neighbouring  country. 
The  great  interior  of  the  State,  stretching  back 
into  the  fertile  valley  of  the  San  Francisco  river, 
inhabited  largely  by  a  fanatical  and  ignorant 
people,  absolutely  under  the  control  of  a  corres- 


212  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

pondingly  fanatical  and  ignorant  priesthood,  re- 
mains yet  to  be  canvassed  by  the  colporteurs  and 
visited  by  the  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  It  will  re- 
quire much  faith,  zeal,  and  courage  to  do  the 
work,  and  the  workers  will  doubtless  have  to 
endure  much  opposition  and  persecution  to  evan- 
gelize these  thousands. 

At  the  time  of  my  first  visit  to  the  city  of  Per- 
nambuco  I  sent  two  colporteurs  and  an  assistant 
to  make  the  journey  on  horseback  across  the 
country  to  the  city  of  Parahyba,  the  capital  of 
the  State  of  Parahyba,  while  I  went  in  company 
with  the  Presbyterian  missionaries  and  two  na- 
tive students  for  the  ministry  by  train  northward 
to  Timbauba,  a  distance  of  about  seventy  miles, 
then  by  horseback  twenty-five  miles,  to  Pilar.  Re- 
turning we  reached  the  village  of  Timbauba  at 
one  p.  M.,  and  after  securing  something  to  eat,  I 
visited  during  the  remaining  hours  of  the  day 
about  fifty  houses  or  rather  huts.  The  ignorance 
and  poverty  prevailing  were  appalling.  I  suc- 
ceeded in  selling  eight  copies  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  talked  with  a  few  who  showed  some  real 
interest  to  know  the  truth. 

At  the  time  of  my  visit  a  severe  drought,  such 
as  is  of  frequent  occurrence  In  that  section,  was 
prevailing  throughout  the  State,  and  poverty 
and  suflFering  abounded  on  every  hand.  Many 
refugees  from  the  interior  were  gathered  about 
the  streets,  and  all  who  could  obtain  passage  on 
the  steamers  were  leaving  for  other  parts  along 


Pernambuco  213 

the  coast.  The  conditions  were  then  most  un- 
favourable for  selling  the  Scriptures,  but  we  were 
able  to  give  a  few  copies  to  the  poor.  The  two 
colporteurs  who  had  been  five  days  on  the  jour- 
ney from  Pernambuco  reported  that  they  had  not 
sold  a  single  copy,  and  a  trip  into  the  country 
round  about  Parahyba  met  with  little  success. 
I  spent  a  few  days  in  the  city  attending  the  Pres- 
bytery, at  which  there  were  present  three  mis- 
sionaries, four  native  preachers  and  a  few  elders. 
I  have  never  known  personally  a  body  of  Chris- 
tian workers  labouring  amid  greater  difficulties; 
but  they  gave  evidence  of  heroic  faith  and  zeal, 
and  their  reports  showed  that  divine  blessings 
were  resting  upon  their  efforts.  In  the  midst  of 
this  poverty  and  wretchedness  great  sums  of 
money  were  being  extorted  from  the  poor  people 
by  various  devices,  for  the  erection  of  a  great 
church. 

During  the  last  ten  years  at  different  times 
our  colporteurs  have  gone  to  offer  the  Word 
of  God  to  the  600,000  souls  composing  the  popu- 
lation of  this  State.  They  have  laboured  under 
great  difficulties  and  encountered  much  opposi- 
tion and  at  times  violent  persecution.  One  of 
them  a  few  years  ago  was  seized,  beaten,  and 
driven  out  of  several  interior  towns,  and  at  one 
time  narrowly  escaped  death  at  the  hands  of  en- 
raged fanatics.  At  another  place  a  priest  seized 
a  Bible  from  his  hands  and  tore  it  to  pieces  in  the 
presence  of  many  witnesses ;  this  was  license  for 


214  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

them  to  fall  upon  the  poor  fellow,  and  he  fared 
badly  for  awhile  at  their  hands.  Finally  he  ap- 
pealed to  the  Vice-Governor  of  the  State,  from 
whom,  because  of  his  intimate  relation  with  the 
priest,  he  received  no  sympathy  and  little 
protection.  A  few  of  the  Bibles  scattered  from 
time  to  time  throughout  the  State  have  been 
read.  The  Presbyterian  workers  with  heroic  de- 
votion and  untiring  zeal  have  followed  up  the 
work,  and  their  efforts  have  been  greatly  blessed 
of  God,  and  in  addition  to  the  church  in  this  city 
with  I  GO  members,  the  work  has  been  organized 
in  other  places  and  there  are  regular  services  at 
more  than  ten  points  throughout  the  State.  The 
pioneer  work  was  done  in  a  large  measure  by  the 
colporteurs  and  their  Bibles  as  all  the  workers 
delight  to  testify. 

From  that  point  I  sent  one  of  the  colporteurs 
through  the  country  on  horse-back,  crossing  the 
States  of  Pernambuco,  and  Alagoas,  to  his  home 
in  the  State  of  Sergipe.  He  reported  better  suc- 
cess on  the  return  trip  than  he  had  met  with  in 
coming  over.  In  company  with  a  second  col- 
porteur I  embarked  on  a  small  coasting  vessel  for 
the  north,  and  after  a  stormy  night  we  entered 
the  port  of  Natal  in  the  province  of  Rio  Grande 
do  Norte  early  in  the  morning.  This  city  is  located 
on  a  river  about  two  miles  from  the  seacoast. 
The  entrance  is  through  a  narrow  and  dangerous 
passage  in  the  coral  reef,  which  extends  from 
Pernambuco  to  Ceara.    Shortly  after  our  arrival 


Pernambuco 


5 


we  had  a  season  of  prayer  together,  and  then 
went  to  visit  the  city  authorities  for  the  purpose 
of  obtaining  permission  to  circulate  our  books. 
They  were  kind  and  interposed  no  objections.  In 
a  few  hours  I  sold  ten  copies  and  the  colporteur 
eleven.  The  people  seemed  more  favourably  dis- 
posed toward  the  Gospel  than  we  had  found  them 
in  the  neighbouring  province  and  we  met  with 
very  little  opposition  while  we  remained  there. 
I  obtained  the  use  of  the  theatre  and  on  a  Sun- 
day afternoon  preached  to  a  large  and  attentive 
audience.  One  young  girl  heard  the  preaching, 
was  deeply  impressed,  began  to  search  after  the 
truth,  and  is  now  a  teacher  in  one  of  the  mission 
schools  in  Ric  de  Janeiro,  and  an  active  worker 
in  the  church. 

The  colporteurs  have  visited  this  city  of  about 
12,000  inhabitants  and  extended  the  work 
through  the  State.  To  record  incidents  of  their 
experiences  would  be  to  repeat  in  a  large  measure 
what  has  been  said  of  the  work  in  Pernambuco 
and  Parahyba. 

The  Presbyterians  following  up  the  interest 
awakened  by  the  reading  of  the  Bible  have  estab- 
lished a  very  prosperous  mission  in  the  city,  and 
are  extending  the  work  to  other  parts.  The  Bible 
and  evangelistic  work  seem  to  have  made  a  deep 
impression  upon  the  people  generally.  I  was 
recently  making  a  voyage  with  an  ex-Governor 
of  the  State,  who  is  now  a  prominent  Senator 
in  the  Federal  Government.   Having  learned  that 


2i6  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

I  was  travelling  in  the  interest  of  the  circulation 
of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  he  of  his  own  accord 
sought  an  interview  with  me,  and  took  occasion 
to  assure  me  that  he  had  been  reading  the  Bible 
for  some  time,  that  he  did  not  hesitate  to  declare 
publicly  that  he  was  no  longer  a  Roman  Catholic. 
I  found  him  to  be  in  the  position  of  many  in  Bra- 
zil; they  are  reading  the  Bible,  have  discovered 
that  the  Roman  Church,  which  they  have  been 
taught  to  regard  as  a  great  mystery  and  as  pos- 
sessing all  truth,  is  not  what  it  claims  to  be.  But 
it  is  so  interwoven  into  the  social  and  political 
life  and  customs  of  the  country  that  they  find  it 
most  difficult  to  break  away  entirely  from  all  its 
practices.  Then  too  the  Protestant  movement  is 
so  small  and  so  despised  by  the  masses  of  the 
people  that  men  of  position  and  political  ambi- 
tions are  often  unwilling  to  sacrifice  their  in- 
terests for  the  time  being  and  subject  themselves 
to  that  social  ostracism  which  they  must  suffer 
in  order  to  take  a  positive  and  public  stand  on  the 
side  of  the  evangelical  cause.  The  circulation 
and  reading  of  the  Bible  is  producing  all  over 
the  country  a  marvellous  change  in  the  intellectual 
attitude  of  thousands  towards  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic Church  and  the  real  truth  of  Christianity. 
What  is  greatly  needed  is  a  deeper  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  the  hearts  of  men  that  they  may 
be  truly  converted  and  regenerated. 

A  few  years  ago  a  young  man,  Sr.  Antonio 
Marques,  went  from  this  province  to  Pernam- 


Pernambuco  217 

buco  where  he  became  interested  in  the  Gospel, 
was  converted,  came  to  Rio,  into  the  office  of  the 
Bible  Society,  and  asked  me  to  direct  him  to 
some  place  where  he  could  get  employment.  I 
was  impressed  with  his  spirit  and  sent  him  at 
once  into  the  streets  to  sell  Bibles :  shortly  there- 
after he  made  the  long  journey  with  me  which 
is  recorded  in  chapter  four.  On  this  journey 
he  gave  most  decided  evidence  of  having  a  call 
to  the  ministry.  I  interested  friends  in  him :  he 
studied  for  awhile  in  the  Granbery  College  at 
Juiz  de  Fora,  and  afterwards  went  to  London  for 
a  time.  He  is  now  a  successful  minister  of  the 
Gospel. 

After  finishing  our  work  in  and  about  Natal 
we  rowed  out  in  a  small  boat  through  the  narrow 
passage  in  the  coral  reef  to  take  shipping  in  a 
large  vessel  that  stood  in  the  open  sea.  The  sea 
was  very  rough  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty 
that  we  succeeded  in  getting  on  board.  We  very 
soon  began  a  canvass  of  the  ship's  passengers 
and  crew,  and  sold  several  copies  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. Among  the  passengers  was  a  Christian 
gentleman,  Mr.  Crenshaw,  a  flour  merchant  from 
Richmond,  Virginia,  who  showed  much  interest 
in  our  Bible  work.  Before  we  parted  he  gave 
me  a  contribution  with  which  to  make  a  gra- 
tuitous distribution  of  Scriptures  to  persons  who 
might  be  too  poor  to  buy.  The  distribution  re- 
quested was  made,  and  the  fruits  of  the  reading 
have  been  gathered  in  several  instances  of  per- 


2i8  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

sons  in  the  States  of  Ceara,  Piauhy,  and  Maran- 
hao  who  have  come  to  the  Hght  and  united  with 
the  Presbyterian  churches  through  that  section. 
The  next  State  visited  on  the  coast  was  Ceara. 
Forteleza,  the  capital,  a  progressive  city  of  about 
40,000  inhabitants,  is  located  on  a  slightly  ele- 
vated plain  which  is  reached  by  a  gradual  ascent 
from  the  ocean's  edge.  For  several  years  the 
Rev.  D.  L.  Wardlaw,  a  Presbyterian  missionary, 
had  a  small  book  store  on  a  much  frequented 
street,  in  the  city,  and  our  Bibles  were  all  the 
time  prominently  kept  on  sale.  In  this  way  many 
copies  of  the  Word  have  gone  into  the  hands 
of  the  people,  and  the  Bible  has  been  well  ad- 
vertised and  the  workers  have  been  diligent  in 
following  up  the  work  of  the  colporteurs  as  far 
as  they  have  been  able.  Many  interesting  inci- 
dents of  the  work  here  might  be  related,  but  I 
must  tell  the  reader  of  a  blind  man,  who  heard 
the  Gospel  and  was  converted.  He  would  then 
go  out  every  day  with  a  New  Testament  and  sit 
or  stand  on  the  street  corners  with  it  open  in  his 
hand,  passing  his  finger  over  the  page  as  if 
reading.  This  would  attract  the  attention  of 
persons  passing  by,  and  when  they  stopped  to 
inquire  what  he  was  doing,  he  would  say,  just 
see  what  a  beautiful  passage  from  God's  Word. 
In  this  way  he  interested  many  in  the  Gospel, 
directing  them  to  the  store  where  they  might 
buy  Bibles,  or  to  the  church  where  they  might 
hear  the  preaching  of  the  truth. 


Pernambuco 


2T9 


On  the  voyage  from  Forteleza  to  Maranhao, 
my  next  port  of  disembarking,  one  of  our  fellow 
passengers  was  a  Roman  Catholic  priest,  who 
had  been  for  several  years  a  missionary  among 
the  Indians  in  the  southern  interior  of  Brazil 
and  was  then  on  his  way  to  the  Amazon  valley 
to  take  up  mission  work.  As  we  went  about  the 
ship  offering  the  Scriptures  to  the  passengers 
and  the  crew,  he  discovered  the  nature  of  our 
mission  and  began  at  once  to  oppose  it  in  strong- 
est terms.  Some  were  influenced  by  him  not 
to  buy,  while  his  opposition,  I  think,  inspired 
others  with  a  desire  to  know  what  there  was  in 
this  book  to  so  enrage  the  priest  against  us.  At 
the  dinner  table  his  language  became  very  of- 
fensive and  his  conduct  disgusting,  until  the  cap- 
tain, who  sat  at  the  head  of  the  table,  reproved 
him,  and  finally  told  him  that  if  he  did  not  cease 
using  offensive  and  insulting  language  he  would 
be  prohibited  from  coming  to  the  table  with  the 
other  passengers.  My  heart  was  so  deeply 
moved  for  this  poor  deceived  man,  that  I  sought 
him  out  alone  on  deck  that  night  and  tried  by 
the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  show  him  the  way 
of  salvation.  He  finally  became  serious,  and 
when  we  parted  late  at  night  for  sleep  he  asked 
me  to  let  him  keep  my  New  Testament  until 
morning.  The  next  morning  when  I  went  up 
on  deck  the  first  sight  to  greet  my  eyes  was  the 
priest  reading  the  Testament.  He  confessed  that 
he  had  never  read  the  Sacred  Scriptures  in  Portu- 


220  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

guese,  and  that  he  had  never  before  seen  or 
heard  of  the  translation  that  I  had.  He  became 
so  deeply  interested  that  I  gave  him  a  Bible.  In 
a  few  hours  thereafter  I  left  the  ship,  but  had 
occasion  to  return  on  board  before  she  left  the 
port,  and  there  sat  the  priest  absorbed  in  his 
Bible.  A  passenger  told  me  that  he  had  been 
reading  for  several  hours.  It  is  rarely  the  case 
that  we  can  induce  a  priest  to  examine  or  read 
the  Scriptures. 

Maranhao,  or  Sao  Luis  was  the  next  point 
after  Ceara  at  which  we  stopped  for  work. 
About  half  of  the  capital  cities  in  Brazil  are 
most  commonly  called  by  the  name  of  the  State, 
though  their  legal  names  are  different.  For 
instance,  one  seldom  hears  the  name  city  of  Sao 
Salvador,  but  it  is  always  Bahia:  scarcely  any 
one  speaks  of  Recife,  but  always  Pernambuco. 
Sao  Luis  is  thus  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Ma- 
ranhao. Founded  about  1612  by  a  Frenchman 
who  named  it  in  honour  of  Luis  XIII.,  it  was 
formally  called  the  "  Athens  of  Brazil,"  and  not- 
withstanding the  signs  of  decay  and  lack  of 
modern  enterprise,  has  still  an  air  of  refinement 
and  culture. 

In  all  our  plans  and  work  for  colportage  in  this 
State  and  the  neighbouring  State  of  Piauhy, 
we  were  greatly  aided  by  Dr.  G.  W.  Butler,  the 
Presbyterian  missionary  stationed  at  this  point. 
In  no  section  of  the  country  has  our  Bible  work 
for   the  last   twelve   years   been   more   strongly 


Pernambuco  221 

supported  and  helped  forward  by  the  mission- 
aries than  in  these  two  States :  indeed  much  of 
the  time  it  has  been  almost  if  not  entirely  under 
their  supervision,  and  they  and  their  helpers 
have  taken  an  active  part  in  circulating  the 
Word.  From  the  city  of  Sao  Luis  the  Bibles 
have  gone  out  in  every  direction  through  the 
country  and  along  the  rivers  and  the  sea  coast. 
The  following  incident  well  illustrates  the  dif- 
ficulties under  which  persons  in  this  country 
sometimes  read  the  Bible,  and  the  power  it  has 
over  their  lives.  A  short  time  before  I  started 
on  this  journey  to  the  north  a  young  man  in 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  who  was  at  one  time  my  Portu- 
guese teacher,  was  dying  of  consumption.  I 
visited  him  several  times  during  his  illness,  and 
he  gave  very  satisfactory  evidence  of  being  at 
peace  with  Jesus.  He  had  told  me  that  his 
mother  lived  in  Maranhao,  and  that  she  was  a 
Christian,  that  she  had  read  the  Bible  and  had 
taught  it  to  him  at  times,  and  now  in  his  last 
hours  he  was  appropriating  to  his  own  comfort 
and  eternal  peace  what  he  had  learned  from  his 
mother.  A  day  or  two  after  I  arrived  in  the 
city  the  mother.  Dona  Balbina  Duarte,  called 
on  me  to  learn  something  more  of  her  son's  last 
illness  and  death.  She  was  in  great  distress  of 
mind,  having  had  no  definite  information  about 
his  death,  and  not  knowing  that  he  had  departed 
trusting  in  Christ.  She  was  much  comforted  in 
the  messages  I  gave  her :  and  when  I  referred  to 


222  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

his  faith  in  the  truths  of  the  Bible,  which  he  had 
learned  from  her  several  years  before,  she  wept 
for  joy.  She  then  told  me  that  she  had  bought 
a  Bible  from  one  of  our.  colporteurs,  and  as  soon 
as  her  husband  knew  that  she  had  it  he  forbade 
her  to  read  it.  She  became  so  much  interested 
that  she  would  hide  it  away  while  he  was  about 
the  house,  and  then  when  he  was  out  she  would 
read  it.  He  learned  from  the  servants  and  the 
children  that  she  was  reading  the  book,  and 
several  times  treated  her  very  roughly  and  beat 
her  for  disobeying  his  prohibition.  She  then 
conceived  the  idea  of  reading  it  at  night  while 
all  were  asleep.  To  do  this  she  would  hide  her 
Bible,  a  box  of  matches,  and  a  candle  cut  into 
small  pieces  under  her  pillow.  After  all  the 
household  was  soundly  asleep  she  would  light 
one  of  the  bits  of  candle  and  hold  it  closely  down 
bv  her  side  that  the  light  might  not  shine  across 
her  body  and  disturb  her  sleeping  husband,  and 
thus  she  would  seek  out  of  God's  Book  his  mes- 
sages for  her  soul.  If  her  husband  seemed  to 
stir  out  of  his  slumber  or  move  she  would  quickly 
blow  out  the  candle  and  lie  perfectly  quiet  as  if 
soundly  asleep.  She  told  me  that  she  had  thus 
spent  many  a  night.  Now  she  rejoiced,  not  only 
that  she  had  found  Jesus  precious  in  her  own 
soul's  salvation,  but  moreover  that  she  had  been 
able  to  teach  her  eldest  son  sufficient  of  the 
truth  to  lead  him  to  Christ.  She  sorrowed  that 
he  was  dead,  but  praised  God  for  the  testimony 


Pernambuco  223 

of  his  faith  in  Christ  as  a  personal  Saviour. 
There  are  many  throughout  this  land  of  the 
Southern  Cross  who  are  under  similar  circum- 
stances searching  after  the  knowledge  of  God, 
and  who  are  endeavouring  to  communicate  the 
new-found  truth  to  others  about  them.  Other 
children  of  this  godly  woman  have  grown  into 
beautiful  Christian  characters,  and  are  bringing 
up  their  families  in  the  knowledge  and  fear  of 
God. 

From  the  city  of  Therezina  in  Piauhy  the  sup- 
plies of  Scriptures,  that  I  sent  forward  during 
my  stay  in  Maranhao  and  afterwards,  have  been 
scattered  through  the  city  and  the  country  round 
about.  Shortly  after  the  colporteur's  arrival  in 
that  city  he  reported  to  me  that  there  was  great 
poverty  in  that  section  in  consequence  of  the 
drought  that  had  extended  through  from  Ceara. 
In  view  of  Mr.  Crenshaw's  contribution,  to  which 
reference  was  made  above,  I  wrote  authorizing 
him  to  make  a  free  distribution  of  Scriptures 
according  to  his  own  judgment  to  some  of  those 
too  poor  to  buy,  who  might  be  able  to  read.  He 
went  on  a  journey  up  the  river,  where  many  of 
the  sufferers  had  gathered  along  its  banks  to 
sustain  life  by  means  of  the  little  water  that  re- 
mained. A  few  years  later  a  missionary  was 
exploring  that  interior  country  and  discovered 
that  one  of  those  Bibles  had  gone  a  distance  of 
about  120  miles  further  inland :  the  man  who 
carried  it  with  him  had  read  it,  and  through  its 


224  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

tcachinp^  lie  liiid  found  C'lirist  as  his  Saviour. 
]  It'  had  also  Ik'cii  instniiiR'ntal  in  teaching  a  num- 
ber of  others  the  way  of  salvation,  and  they 
were  l)egj^ing  for  some  one  to  come  and  teach 
them  the  way  of  God  more  perfectly.  The  liber- 
ality of  one  man  in  makinj^^  the  contribution 
abounded  unto  the  salvation  of  many. 


The  Amazon 

TAR  A — RIVIIK   'lOWNS — Till':    INDIANS. 

OCrolU'.K  151I1  I  cMiiharkrd  on  llir  U.  S. 
slcainsliii)  "  Alliaii(;a  "  at  Maranli.-io  for 
l*ara.  On  hoard  I  iiicl  Ccium.iI  IF. 
Clay  Aniislroiif^,  of  Anhnni,  Al.'i.,  who  h.-id 
l)('(Mi  lfnitc'(l  Stales  Consul  al  l\io  dc  h'un'iro 
for  h>in'  years,  (Inr'nj;  whicli  lime  he  had 
been  a  hearty  snj)i)orter  of  tlu^  l'ji^lish-si)eal<- 
inpf  con. t;- reflation  at  the  Methodist  Chnreh  in 
Rio:  indeed  he  was  a  warm  fiicnd  of  all 
the"  missionaries  .and  their  work.  T.y  his  (]v- 
])ortment,  fidi'lily  to  hnsiness,  and  upright  walk- 
he  won  the  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him.  A 
title  of  hi^'^h  honor  was  eonfeired  nj)on  him  and 
upon  the  United  States  Minister  for  the  same 
period,  lion.  'Ihom.'is  j.  jarvis,  of  North  Caro- 
lina, l)y  the  I'jnjx'ror  of  Ihazil.  Mr.  Jarvis  was 
also  a  hearty  supporter  of  the  woik  in  Kio,  and 
a  friend  to  mission  work,  j^ivin^''  liher.'dly  nnd 
enconraj.,dn^  the  work  of  the  Cos|)el. 

The  city  of  Para,  or  properly  speakint^,  I'elem, 
is  the  most  northerly  city  of  Brazil,  and  is  located 
on  the  eastern   hank  of  the   Cnajarahay,  or  as 
225 


226  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

many  say  on  the  south  side  of  the  Para  river, 
about  eighty  miles  from  the  ocean,  so  that  only  in 
a  general  way  can  it  be  described  as  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Amazon. 

The  population  at  the  time  of  my  first  visit 
v^as  about  80,000,  but  it  has  since  grown  to  about 
100,000.  The  central  streets  are  narrow  but  well 
paved  with  stone  and  lighted  with  gas.  It  is 
humid  and  warm  during  the  day,  though  the 
nights  and  mornings  are  pleasant.  During  the 
summer  it  rains  almost  every  afternoon,  and  in 
the  winter  at  all  hours  of  the  day.  Once  while  I 
was  there  it  did  not  rain  for  two  successive  days 
and  the  people  began  to  complain  of  the  heat  and 
to  remark  how  dry  it  was  getting.  In  the  suburbs 
there  are  many  beautiful  and  commodious  resi- 
dences, and  the  city  is  fairly  well  served  with  a 
system  of  street  cars.  There  is  but  one  railroad 
from  the  city,  with  an  extension  of  less  than  fifty 
miles,  but  the  facilities  for  steamboat  navigation 
are  almost  unlimited.  The  main  stream  of  the 
Amazon  alone  is  navigable  for  2,500  miles  and 
the  territory  drained  by  this  wonderful  system  is 
about  4,200,000  square  kilometers,  or  half  the 
entire  territory  of  Brazil. 

After  a  careful  study  of  the  situation  I  esti- 
mated that  less  than  750,000  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  two  Provinces  of  Para  and  Amazonas  could 
easily  be  reached  by  the  colporteurs  from  this 
point.  These  are  found  largely  in  cities,  villages, 
and  settlements  along  the  banks  of  the  rivers  and 


The  Amazon 


227 


at  the  most  liberal  estimate  not  more  than  200,000 
of  them  can  read  and  write. 

To  get  a  further  insight  into  the  conditions  for 
Bible  work  I  made  an  excursion  over  the  railroad 
above  referred  to,  which  extends  mostly  through 
the  dense  forest,  with  here  and  there  a  settlement 
or  village.  The  town  of  Braganga,  the  terminus 
of  the  road,  which  gives  the  name  to  the  line,  has 
a  population  of  about  10,000  inhabitants.  I  sold 
on  this  short  trip  twenty-five  copies  of  the  Word 
and  preached  once  at  the  station  of  Benevedes  to 
a  good  congregation  gathered  in  the  house  of  a 
believer,  who  had  recently  moved  out  from  the 
city  of  Para. 

Here  I  had  my  first  experience  of  the  great 
Para  forest  with  its  trees,  many  of  them  one  hun- 
dred feet  in  height,  with  trunks  four  or  five  feet 
in  diameter;  the  vast  quantity  and  quality  of 
plant-life,  struggling  in  a  dense  mass  upward  for 
light,  sun  and  air;  the  orchids,  lichens,  and 
vines,  many  of  them  sending  their  roots  down  a 
hundred  feet  to  the  ground,  at  the  bases  of  the 
trees  upon  which  they  thrive ;  the  parasitic  plants 
whose  foliage  towers  above  and  is  greater  than 
that  of  the  trees  which  they  have  scaled,  the 
luxuriant  llanos  continually  reminding  one  of  the 
rigging  of  a  great  ship ;  while  the  surface  of  the 
ground  was  covered  with  a  tangle  of  creepers  and 
trunks,  and  decaying  vegetation  of  all  kinds. 
"  The  tropical  forest  is  not  only  grand  and 
solemn,  it  is  also  graceful  and  beautiful." 


228  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

The  well-known  American  botanist,  Mr.  E.  S. 
Rand,  at  the  time  of  my  visit  had  been  living  for 
a  number  of  years  in  Para,  gathering  his  notable 
collection  of  orchids,  with  more  than  20,000  speci- 
mens of  800  species,  and  almost  endless  varieties, 
said  to  be  the  third  largest  collection  then  known 
to  botanists. 

Para  is  the  commercial  centre  of  the  rubber 
traffic,  the  chief  industry  of  the  Amazon  valley. 
The  yearly  exportation  of  the  crude  material  from 
this  section  amounts  to  some  40,000,000  pounds. 
Since  the  city  of  Manaos,  a  thousand  miles  up 
the  river  in  ihe  State  of  Amazonas  has  been 
made  a  port  of  entry,  ocean  steamers  load  the 
rubber  from  that  point  and  this  has  lessened 
the  exports  from  Para.  Other  products  that 
figure  in  the  exports  are  Brazil  nuts  and  cacao, 
the  bean  from  which  chocolate  is  made. 

This  commercial  intercourse  of  Para  with  the 
outer  world,  the  presence  of  foreign  merchants, 
traders,  bankers,  the  coming  of  foreign  vessels, 
has  had  in  some  measure  a  liberalizing  influence 
over  the  people,  though  the  efforts  to  circulate  the 
Bible  and  to  preach  the  Gospel  have  met  with  the 
opposition  and  persecution  so  common  in  other 
parts  of  the  country.  Besides  the  cities  of  Rio  de 
Janeiro  and  Sao  Paulo  there  is  perhaps  no  other  in 
Brazil  in  which  so  large  a  number  of  Bibles  has 
been  distributed  in  proportion  to  the  population. 
Frequent  consignments  have  been  made  direct 
from   New  York,   and   we  have   shipped  large 


STREET   SCENE   IN   PARA. 


The  Amazon  229 

quantities  there  from  Rio,  and  occasionally  sup- 
plies have  gone  direct  from  London.  Colporteurs 
have  in  part  done  the  work  of  distribution,  and 
the  missionaries  residing  there  have  also  been 
very  active  in  circulating  the  Word.  The  oldest 
of  the  missions  is  that  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  established  and  still  served  by  the 
Rev.  Justus  H.  Nelson.  An  independent  Baptist 
missionary,  the  Rev.  E.  A.  Nelson,  has  also 
been  very  active  in  Bible  distribution  and  in 
evangelistic  work;  indeed  there  is  no  missionary 
in  Brazil  who,  in  the  same  length  of  time,  has  put 
into  circulation  so  many  copies  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. At  one  time  he  wTote  direct  to  New  York, 
"  Mr.  Tucker  sent  us  from  Rio  de  Janeiro  about 
500  Bibles,  but  they  are  all  about  gone,  and  I  am 
writing  to  ask  for  more.  A  Brazilian  brother 
who  has  been  working  for  us  has  succeeded  splen- 
didly. I  went  up  the  river  to  Santarem  and  in 
thirty  days  sold  all  the  volumes  of  Scriptures  I 
took  with  me,  539  copies."  One  notable  feature 
of  his  work  has  been  the  number  of  Hebrew 
Bibles  sold,  and  latterly  a  number  of  Hebrew 
New  Testaments.  About  the  city  of  Para  and  on 
the  Xingu  river  quite  a  number  of  Jews  have 
gathered,  who  have  been  the  purchasers  of  these 
Scriptures.  Each  of  the  missionaries  above  re- 
ferred to  have  extended  their  work  to  Manaos 
and  other  points  in  this  great  valley. 

After  having  studied  the  field  and  the  condi- 
tions as  best  I  could  in  Para  for  some  days,  I 


ajo  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

started  on  a  journey  up  the  Amazon  as  far  as 
Manaos.  The  ride  on  one  of  the  steamers  of  the 
Amazon  Navigation  company  through  the  chan- 
nels and  among  the  islands  until  we  entered  the 
Amazon  proper  was  very  interesting  and  the 
scenery  at  times  picturesque,  with  its  small  round 
islands  of  green ;  the  tall  trees  and  thick  under- 
growth ;  with  its  network  of  vines  and  parasites ; 
the  border  of  lilies  and  other  aquatic  plants ;  the 
monkeys  playing  among  the  branches  and  vines, 
and  occasionally  a  huge  snake  exposed  to  view 
on  the  limb  of  a  tree,  while  many  birds  of  brilliant 
plumage  were  flying  from  island  to  island.  Now 
and  then  we  saw  a  few  huts  and  small  spots  of 
land  under  cultivation ;  again  we  saw  the  rubber 
gatherers  with  ax  and  tins  making  their  w^ay  into 
the  forest  to  tap  the  trees  and  gather  the  milk  to 
be  boiled  for  transportation.  Turning  from  the 
scenery  to  my  Bible  work  I  made  a  canvass  of 
the  boat's  passengers  and  crew,  with  the  result  of 
the  sale  of  a  number  of  copies  of  the  Scriptures. 
There  was  considerable  reading  and  discussion 
on  board  that  day,  and  the  next  day  some  who 
had  refused  copies  were  induced  to  buy,  as  they 
saw  how  deeply  interested  and  delighted  others 
were  with  what  they  had  read.  The  second  day 
out  we  were  on  the  broad  Amazon,  seemingly  at 
times  a  real  sea  of  fresh  water.  As  w^e  steamed 
up  the  river  we  called  at  an  occasional  village  or 
country  settlement.  Each  opportunity  was  im- 
proved to  offer  the  Scriptures,  and  a  number  of 


The  Amazon  231 

copies  were  disposed  of  along  the  way.  When 
near  the  banks  of  the  river  the  large  turtles  and 
alligators  attracted  much  attention.  After  three 
days  we  reached  the  town  of  Santarem,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Tapajoz  river,  about  500  miles  from 
Para.  There  I  found  a  number  of  American 
settlers,  who  had  come  to  this  country  several 
years  ago  from  the  United  States  and  was  given  a 
warm  welcome  to  the  hospitable  home  of  the 
Rev.  R.  T.  Hennington.  One  of  the  first  to  visit 
me  was  Dr.  J.  Pitts,  son  of  the  Rev.  F.  E.  Pitts, 
formerly  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  Tennessee, 
who  made  a  missionary  exploration  tour  to  this 
country  in  the  year  1836.  Another  with  whom 
I  had  most  delightful  conversation  and  fellowship 
was  the  son  of  a  Presbyterian  minister  in  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania,  and  still  another  was  the 
brother  of  Rev.  F.  E.  P.  Jennings  of  Arkansas. 
All  these  and  still  others  among  them  showed 
a  deep  interest  in  my  Bible  work.  Dr.  Pitts 
offered  his  house  for  preaching,  and  for  seven 
successive  nights  I  spoke  to  large  and  attentive 
audiences,  composed  largely  of  Brazilians.  The 
interest  grew  from  day  to  day,  and  I  sold  many 
copies  of  the  Word.  When  the  Roman  Catholic 
priest  of  the  town  knew  that  I  was  about  ready 
to  leave  he  waked  up  and  began  most  vigorously 
to  warn  the  people  against  reading  the  false 
Bibles ;  told  them  that  they  must  burn  many  fire- 
works to  drive  away  the  devil  and  purify  the  air 
of  the  lies  that  I  had  preached.    He  urged  them 


23  2  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

to  make  confession  and  do  penance  for  having 
attended  the  preaching.  When  I  was  safely  on 
board  the  steamer  that  was  to  take  me  about  an- 
other 500  miles  up  the  river,  and  the  whistle  blew 
for  us  to  steam  away,  he  and  a  few  of  his  follow- 
ers came  out  in  front  of  the  church,  which  occu- 
pied a  prominent  site  overlooking  the  river,  and 
sent  up  over  my  head  such  a  volume  of  fireworks 
as  I  have  never  seen  and  heard  on  so  insignificant 
an  occasion  in  the  daytime.  On  my  return  a 
few  weeks  later  I  was  told  that  he  remarked  to 
the  people,  after  it  was  all  over,  that  then  they 
could  all  go  home  in  peace;  the  devil  was  gone 
and  the  lies  he  preached  had  been  burned  up,  and 
that  they  must  destroy  all  those  false  Bibles. 
Scarcely  any  who  had  attended  the  preaching  and 
bought  Bibles  took  part  in  this  send-off  that  he 
gave  me.  Many  gave  evidence  of  having  been 
deeply  impressed  by  the  truth  preached,  and  I 
left  with  them  thirty-four  copies  of  the  Scripture. 
From  Santarem  to  Manaos  we  had  a  very 
pleasant  voyage.  To  the  passengers  and  crew, 
and  at  the  ports  where  we  called,  I  availed  my- 
self of  the  opportunities  to  offer  the  Scriptures, 
and  a  number  of  persons  bought  copies.  One  of 
the  engineers  of  the  vessel  was  a  Wesleyan  local 
preacher  from  Trinidad,  West  Indies.  He  be- 
came much  interested  in  our  work,  and  kindly 
offered  to  take  some  copies  with  him  for  distribu- 
tion on  their  journey  of  more  than  fifteen  hun- 
dred  miles   up   the   Madeira   river.     The   forty 


The  Amazon 


233 


copies  sent  by  him  may  prove  the  beginning  of  a 
good  work  reaching  towards  the  Andes.  This 
brother  had  been  for  seven  months  in  the  employ 
of  the  navigation  company.  On  this  trip  I  was 
thus  enabled  to  send  a  few  copies  of  the  Scrip- 
tures many  hundreds  of  miles  up  three  of  the 
large  tributaries  of  the  Amazon. 

The  time  on  board  passed  very  pleasantly; 
when  not  engaged  in  conversation  and  efforts  to 
induce  some  person  to  buy  the  Scriptures  I  was 
reading  or  enjoying  a  rest  in  my  hammock  on  the 
deck,  interested  in  the  wonders  of  nature  that 
abound  along  the  banks  of  the  river.  At  San- 
tarem  one  day  my  attention  was  attracted  by  the 
screams  of  a  number  of  boys  in  the  river  who 
were  running  for  the  shore.  A  large  alligator 
had  attacked  them  while  they  were  in  bathing. 
The  men  ran  down  and  finally  succeeded  in  shoot- 
ing his  eyes  out,  and  then  harpooning  him, 
brought  him  to  shore.  He  was  thirteen  feet  two 
inches  long,  and  measured  four  feet  four  inches 
around  the  body;  his  mouth  was  one  foot  four 
inches  in  length  and  one  foot  in  width. 

At  night  I  usually  slept  in  a  hammock  on  the 
deck.  During  the  three  months  spent  in  northern 
Brazil  and  on  the  Amazon  I  slept  very  few  nights 
on  a  bed.  In  many  houses  there  were  no  beds, 
the  hammock  being  in  general  use. 

I  spent  a  week  in  and  about  the  city  of  Manaos, 
which  is  located  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Negro. 
It  had  then  a  population  of  about  14,000  inhabit- 


234  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

ants,  but  there  were  then  many  signs  of  coming 
prosperity  and  the  population  has  since  grown  to 
more  than  40,000. 

A  study  of  the  situation  convinced  me  that 
Bible  distribution  in  the  State  of  Amazonas  must 
be  mainly  along  the  rivers.  I  had  good  sales  in  the 
city,  preached  a  number  of  times,  and  had  profit- 
able interviews  about  the  work  and  the  prospects 
with  a  missionary,  who  was  at  that  time  one  of 
the  Bishop  Taylor  self-supporting  men.  This 
city  has  since  been  visited  several  times  by  our 
colporteurs  and  others  who  have  sold  many  copies 
of  the  Word.  The  missionaries  have  followed  up 
the  work  in  a  measure,  which  has  given  good  re- 
sults, especially  in  the  city. 

One  of  the  chief  sections  of  the  country  in- 
habited by  the  wild  Indians  is  the  great  interior 
highlands  and  the  valleys  of  the  Amazon  and  its 
tributaries.  Much  of  this  territory  has  never 
been  explored  and  no  one  knows  how  many  souls 
there  are  waiting  yet  to  be  Christianized  and 
civilized.  Persons  who  have  been  among  some  of 
the  tribes  and  over  parts  of  the  country,  estimate 
them  at  from  four  hundred  thousand  to  two  mil- 
lions. Judging  from  the  extent  of  the  territory 
and  some  facts  given  recently  by  German  ex- 
plorers, a  reasonable  estimate  of  the  number  of 
Indians  throughout  all  Brazil  would  be  nearly  a 
million  and  a  half.  These  explorers  reported  the 
discovery  of  seven  new  tribes  of  peaceable  and 
industrious   Indians   in   the  hitherto  unexplored 


The  Amazon 


^3S 


valley  of  the  Xingii  River.  If  all  the  unknown 
regions  were  carefully  explored  it  might  be  re- 
vealed that  we  have  even  more  than  a  million  of 
**  dusky  relatives  "  in  these  wilds  who  have  never 
yet  seen  the  light  or  felt  the  influences  of  Chris- 
tianity and  modern  civilization. 

The  Government  of  Brazil  through  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  has  made  some  effort  to  civilize 
and  catechize  some  of  the  tribes  on  the  borders 
of  civilization.  Such  are  the  systems  and 
methods,  however,  that  it  remains  a  question  with 
many  whether  more  harm  than  real  good  has  not 
been  done  from  a  moral  and  religious  stand- 
point. Certainly  many  of  the  vices  and  immorali- 
ties of  the  coast  cities  and  towns  have  been  intro- 
duced among  these  tribes  along  with  the  efforts 
at  catechizing  and  civilizing  them.  Be  this  as  it 
may,  it  is  a  fact  that  the  greater  part  of  these 
people  know  nothing  of  the  true  God  and  His  Son 
Jesus  Christ  as  revealed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
They  never  use  the  word  Father  in  connection 
with  their  deities,  but  always  Mother — Mother 
of  the  living,  Mother  of  vegetable  life,  Mother 
of  reproduction  and  thus  the  Mariolatry  of 
Rome,  Mother  of  God,  found  an  easy  intro- 
duction. They  seem  to  have  no  conception  of 
Satan;  their  gods  may  be  displeased  and  conse- 
quently punish  them.  There  are  evidences  that 
they  believe  in  immortality.  When  a  corpse  is 
buried  they  deposit  pots  containing  food;  the 
arms  of  the  dead  also  accompany  him  (the  bow 


236  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

and  arrow  and  such  like)  that  he  inay  provide 
himself  with  game.  In  the  valley  of  the  Amazon 
some  tribes  bury  their  dead  in  their  huts,  with 
the  hope  that  while  they  are  asleep  they  may  be 
visited  by  the  spirits  of  those  who  loved  them. 
These  facts  and  others  go  to  prove  that  they 
have  some  faint  ideas  of  a  future  life;  but  far 
from  the  Christian's  knowledge  and  hope  of  a 
blessed  immortality.  I  was  told  that  many  of 
those  who  had  been  taught  to  work  were  bought 
and  sold  by  the  rubber-gatherers  and  others  ne- 
gotiating in  that  country  just  as  the  African 
slaves  used  to  be.  One  man  said  to  me  that  he 
had  seven  Indian  boys  employed  on  a  small  boat 
on  a  trip  up  one  of  the  rivers  and  was  offered 
about  $150  apiece  for  them. 

The  thought  of  continuing  my  journey  on  up 
the  Amazon  into  the  wilds  among  these  red  men 
was  enticing.  I  was  now  about  1,000  miles  from 
the  seacoast,  and  another  1,500  miles  and  more  of 
navigation  was  possible,  but  my  supply  of  books 
was  nearly  exhausted,  and  besides  it  was  time 
for  me  to  start  on  my  return  voyage  of  3,253 
miles  to  Rio  de  Janeiro,  where  the  monthly  re- 
ports of  colportage  work  were  to  be  made  out  and 
forwarded  to  New  York,  supplies  of  money  and 
books  to  be  sent  to  the  colporteurs,  supplies  or- 
dered from  abroad,  and  other  correspondence  at- 
tended to.  The  voyage  down  stream  to  Para 
was  made  in  much  less  time  than  the  one  up  to 


Th:  Amazon  237 

Manaos.  Just  as  I  was  ready  in  Para  to  embark 
for  Rio  de  Janeiro  a  telegram  was  received  an- 
nouncing the  overthrow  of  the  Monarchy,  the 
banishment  of  the  Imperial  family,  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  provisional  form  of  Republican 
Government.  I  witnessed  the  entrance  of  the 
Provisional  Governor  into  the  state  palace  and 
the  going  out  of  the  Monarchical  President  of 
tne  Province.  There  was  considerable  excite- 
ment, but  no  violence.  The  change  was  made 
with  some  ceremony  as  though  it  had  all  been 
prearranged  and  agreed  to  by  both  parties.  We 
took  the  ex-President  of  the  Province  and  gath- 
ered up  others  along  the  coast  together  with  their 
families,  servants,  monkeys,  parrots,  etc.  on 
board  our  ship  bound  for  Rio.  One  of  these  ex- 
Presidents  remarked  to  me  that  he  had  been  sent 
by  the  Emperor  as  President  of  the  Province, 
and  that  he  was  a  IMonarchist  at  that  time,  but 
when  the  telegram  came  announcing  the  Repub- 
lic he  became  at  once  a  Republican,  (fiquei  re- 
publicano).  There  were  many  who  thus  easily 
and  quickly  changed  from  the  position  of  loyal 
monarchists  to  that  of  staunch  republicans.  It 
was  the  boast  of  all  that  the  overthrow  was  ac- 
complished without  the  shedding  of  blood. 

I  left  thus  several  hundreds  of  copies  of  the 
Scriptures  scattered  through  the  north  of  Brazil, 
picked  up  twenty-two  letters  awaiting  me  at 
Para  and  started  to  Rio  with  a  purpose  and  plan 


238  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

to  push  forward  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures 
along  the  lines  mapped  out  in  my  study  of  the 
situation.  Something  has  been  done  in  the  twelve 
years  since  that  time,  but  by  no  means  all  that  I 
have  desired. 


XI 
Sao  Paulo 

FIRST  COLLEGE  IN  BRAZIL — ^ANCHIETA — m'kENZIE 
COLLEGE ITALIAN   COLONISTS. 

THE  State  of  Sao  Paulo  is  about  ninety-five 
leagues  wide  from  north  to  south  and  170 
from  east  to  west,  and  has  an  area  of  299,- 
876  square  kilometers.  The  greater  part  of  it  is 
elevated,  but  not  mountainous  except  in  the  south- 
east. The  climate  is  in  general  temperate  and 
agreeable,  and,  except  in  the  lowlands  near  the 
seacoast  very  healthy.  The  soil  is  rich  and  pro- 
ductive and  besides  an  excellent  quality  of  native 
timbers,  produces  many  European  plants,  but  the 
great  agricultural  products  are  coffee,  sugar, 
cotton,  tea,  rice  and  corn.  Cattle,  horses,  mules 
and  swine  form  important  items  in  the  trade  of 
the  State.  Minerals  of  various  kinds  exist  in 
different  sections,  though  the  mining  interests 
are  not  well  developed.  Except  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
this  is  the  best  served  with  railroads  of  any  State 
in  the  Republic.  The  finest  railway  in  the  coun- 
try is  that  under  English  management,  running 
from  Santos  on  the  seacoast  to  Jundiahy  through 
the  city  of  Sao  Paulo.  At  this  point  it  connects 
239 


240  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

with  the  Paulista,  going  on  to  Campinas,  and  the 
interior. 

In  many  respects  this  is  the  most  advanced 
State  in  the  Republic;  and  while  much  of  this 
advancement  is  due  to  natural  conditions  the 
character  of  the  early  settlers  has  had  great  in- 
fluence. The  Paulistas,  as  they  are  known,  are 
descended  from  European  colonists.  These  early 
inhabitants  were  bold,  enterprising  adventurers 
who  thought  no  hardship  or  toil  too  great  to  be 
endured  in  their  search  for  gold  and  slaves  and 
later  generations  have  inherited  something  of  this 
spirit.  The  early  educational  efforts  of  the 
Jesuits  have  also  been  a  factor  in  the  development 
of  the  people. 

The  first  college  in  Brazil  was  established  in 
1583  by  Nobrega,  the  chief  of  the  Jesuits,  on  the 
plains  of  Piratininga.  As  the  first  mass  was 
celebrated  on  the  fe^st  of  the  conversion  of  St. 
Paul,  they  gave  the  college  his  name.  The  spot 
has  become  famous  in  Brazilian  history,  and  both 
the  city  and  the  State  have  the  name  of  Sao 
Paulo.  One  of  the  first  teachers  was  the  famous 
Anchieta,  who  taught  the  savages  Latin,  and 
learned  from  them  their  language.  As  there 
were  no  books  he  wrote  for  each  one  his  lesson 
on  a  separate  sheet.  He  composed  a  vocabulary 
and  a  grammar  of  the  dialect  of  these  natives, 
parodied  into  hymns  in  Portuguese  many  of  their 
profane  songs,  and  devised  terms  for  teaching 
them  the  principles  of  the  Catholic  faith.     Had 


Sao  Paulo  241 

the  basal  principles  of  this  remarkable  and  heroic 
teacher  been  chosen  in  accord  with  the  pure 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  intellectual,  moral  and 
religious  condition  of  Brazil  to-day  would  doubt- 
less be  vastly  better  than  it  is.  There  can  be  no 
doubt,  however,  that  this  early  movement  exer- 
cised a  most  beneficial  influence  over  the  social 
system  of  Brazil,  especially  in  the  life  and  char- 
acter of  the  Paulistas. 

The  capital  of  the  State,  distant  from  Rio  by 
rail  about  300  miles,  may  also  be  reached  by  tak- 
ing steamer  down  the  coast  to  Santos  and  from 
there  by  rail.  On  an  October  morning  of  1890  in 
company  with  a  Presbyterian  missionary,  the 
Rev.  J.  B.  Rodgers,  now  in  Manila,  and  a  col- 
colporteur,  Sr.  Andre  Cayret,  I  started  on  the 
coast  trip.  To  save  time  we  took  train  to  Santa 
Cruz  on  the  Central  and  then  went  across  the 
country  on  a  small  tram  car  to  the  seacoast  where 
we  anticipated  catching  a  steam  launch  which 
would  land  us  at  the  village  of  Mangaritiba  in 
time  for  the  coasting  steamer.  We  were,  how- 
ever just  one  hour  too  late,  and  after  a  short  time 
spent  in  Bible  work  among  the  fishe'rmen  at  that 
village,  we  engaged  a  canoe  to  take  us  to  Man- 
garitiba, on  the  chance  of  finding  the  steamer. 
For  an  hour  and  a  half  we  made  good  speed ; 
then  a  calm  set  in  and  our  men  had  to  take  the 
oars,  a  novel  and  not  especially  pleasing  ocean 
experience.  We  had  failed  to  supply  ourselves 
with  provisions  after  breakfasting  at  10:30  and 


242  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

were  not  prepared  to  appreciate  the  disappoint- 
ment when  at  eight  o'clock  at  night,  after  seven 
hours  of  tossing  on  the  waves,  we  landed  and 
were  informed  that  there  was  nothing  like  a  hotel 
in  the  village,  and  that  no  one  could  furnish  us 
anything  to  eat  at  that  hour  of  the  night.  After 
considerable  effort  we  succeeded  in  obtaining  per- 
mission from  one  of  the  fishermen  to  occupy  a 
small  room  in  his  mud-hut.  The  only  thing  in 
the  shape  of  a  bed  in  the  room  was  half  a  dozen 
poles  placed  upon  a  piece  of  wood  stuck  into 
the  wall  and  resting  in  a  fork  driven  into  the 
ground,  the  mattress  being  a  kind  of  mat  made 
of  coarse  grass  and  reeds  plaited  together, 
and  the  covering  a  thin  spread.  One  of  us  took 
the  bed,  and  the  other  two  tried  to  sleep,  on  a 
similar  mat  spread  on  the  very  uneven  dirt  floor. 
It  was  hard  work,  but  the  next  morninsf  we  ate 
heartily  of  a  breakfast  prepared  by  the  fisher- 
man's wife,  sold  quite  a  number  of  Scriptures  in 
the  village,  and  engaged  boatmen  to  take  us  on 
down  the  coast  to  the  town  of  Angra  dos  Reis,  as 
our  steamer  had  gone.  At  9 130  a.  m.  we  rowed 
out  to  sea  and  from  then  until  6  p.  m.  we  were 
tossed  about  by  the  heavy  swells.  The  colporteur 
suggested  singing  as  a  remedy  for  sea-sickness; 
we  got  out  our  Portuguese  hymn  books  and  did 
our  best  for  awhile,  and  there  seemed  for  a  little 
to  be  some  virtue  in  the  remedy,  but  at  last  it  was 
of  no  avail.     Whether  the  difficulty  was  in  the 


Sao  Paulo 


243 


inefficiency  of  the  remedy  or  in  our  ability  to  keep 
up  the  singing,  I  leave  the  reader  to  say. 

We  spent  five  days  in  the  town  of  Angra  dos 
Reis  where  we  made  good  sales  of  Scriptures  and 
preached  several  times  to  audiences  of  400  or 
500  persons  in  the  theatre.  From  there  we  ran 
down  by  steamer  to  the  town  of  Ubatuba,  with 
a  population  of  a  few  thousands  and  found  a  very 
interesting  congregation  of  about  seventy-five 
members  who  had  bought  a  house  and  modelled  it 
into  a  church.  A  Bible  had  been  left  there  on  a 
colporteur's  visit;  someone  became  interested  in 
reading  it ;  he  heard  of  a  missionary  who  was  be- 
ing persecuted  and  driven  out  of  a  town  not  far 
away,  sent  for  him  to  come  and  preach  in  his 
town,  was  converted  and  opened  his  house  for 
worship.  By  and  by  a  church  was  organized 
and  truly  it  might  have  been  designated  as  the 
"  church  that  was  in  Faustino's  house."  We 
visited  two  members,  who  were  respectively 
ninety  and  eighty-three  years  of  age.  They  had 
enjoyed  the  knowledge  of  the  Gospel  only  a  few 
years,  but  were  full  of  joy  and  hope.  On  enter- 
ing the  house  of  the  jailer,  one  of  the  first  things 
to  greet  my  eyes  was  his  Bible,  hymn  book,  and 
other  religious  works  in  the  oratory  where  once 
he  had  kept  the  images  that  he  so  devoutly  wor- 
shipped. The  Bible  entered  and  drove  out  the 
idols. 

On  another  occasion  I  made  the  voyage  from 


244  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

Rio  to  Santos  and  began  work  from  that  point. 
In  recent  years,  this  has  become  a  very  important 
port  and  at  several  different  times  there  has  been 
tentative  evangelical  work.  Now  there  is  a 
movement  which  promises  to  be  more  lasting.  I 
was  warmly  welcomed  by  Air.  \\^illiam  Porter, 
manager  of  the  coffee  house  of  Hard,  Rand  & 
Co.,  and  comfortably  entertained  by  him  and  his 
Christian  family.  If  all  American  business  men 
and  their  families  residing  abroad  were  devoted 
servants  of  God,  they  would  be  a  mighty  influ- 
ence and  an  incalulable  blessing  to  the  mission- 
aries and  their  work.  I  preached  in  their  house 
and  he  opened  his  offices  in  the  city  where  I 
preached  in  Portuguese  to  a  goodly  number  of 
Brazilians.  A  small  contribution  box  kept  in  the 
family  was  opened  on  Sunday  and  their  offering, 
amounting  to  about  ten  dollars,  was  given  to  me 
for  the  Bible  work.  The  city  is  noted  for  its  wick- 
edness and  religious  indifference,  and  my  friends 
thought  I  had  a  zeal  without  knowledge  when 
they  saw  the  size  of  the  box  of  Scriptures  I  was 
confidently  expecting  to  dispose  of  during  my 
short  stay.  I  sold  thirty-six  copies  one  day,  eight 
copies  in  about  two  hours  another  morning,  and 
so  on  until  my  supply  was  all  gone.  During  these 
years  our  colporteurs  have  frequently  visited 
Santos  and  have  generally  sold  a  number  of 
Bibles.  The  seed  has  been  sown  and  we  shall 
hope  to  see  some  day  a  large  harvest  of  souls 
gathered  from  that  field. 


Sao  Paulo  24r 

After  leaving  Santos  the  railroad  runs  over  a 
swampy  and  almost  unpopulated  country  for  a 
distance  of  thirteen  and  a  half  miles  to  the  foot 
of  the  Serra,  then  climbs  a  deep  mountain  gorge, 
ascending  2,600  feet  in  five  miles,  by  means  of 
four  stationary  engines,  placed  at  intervals  of  a 
mile  and  a  quarter.  The  scenery  is  majestic  and 
wild,  one  ravine  more  gloomy  than  the  rest,  being 
called  the  Boca  do  Inferno  (^.louth  of  Hell). 

At  the  time  of  my  first  visit  the  city  of  Sao 
Paulo  had  a  population  of  about  65,000.  The  in- 
crease for  the  last  ten  years  has  been  phenomenal 
and  the  census  of  1900  gives  the  entire  munici- 
pality a  population  of  more  than  250,000.  Mod- 
ern improvements,  enterprise,  and  educational 
developments  have  in  a  measure  kept  pace  with 
the  growth  of  the  population  and  made  it  more 
like  a  modem  European  or  American  city  than 
any  city  in  Brazil.  The  city  has  always  played 
an  important  and  leading  part  in  the  history  and 
development  of  the  country,  and  the  Paulistas 
have  always  been  among  the  most  prominent  of 
Brazil's  leading  statesmen,  educators,  agricul- 
turists, and  merchants.  They  are  sociable,  in- 
telligent, and  more  kindly  disposed  toward  the 
investment  and  development  of  foreign  capital 
and  enterprise  than  the  people  have  been  in  other 
sections  of  the  country.  Foreigners  have  not 
been  slow  to  recognize  the  natural  resources  and 
advantages  possessed  by  this  province.  They 
have  generally  been  kindly  received  and  their  in- 


0.46  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

fiuence  has  done  much  socially,  commercially 
and  politically  for  the  advancement  of  the  people. 
Protestant  missionaries  have  been  less  kindly 
welcomed  than  any  others ;  but  the  value  of  their 
work  is  now  being  appreciated  and  the  Protestant 
element  is  becoming  a  recognized  and  highly  ap- 
preciated factor  in  the  intellectual  and  religious 
life  of  the  people. 

The  early  missionaries  recognized  the  advan- 
tages offered  for  establishing  their  cause  in  this 
centre;  and  their  work  has  prospered  from  the 
beginning.  The  most  thoroughly  equipped  Prot- 
estant educational  institution  in  the  Republic  Is 
the  American  school  and  McKenzie  College  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  with  a  charter  from  the 
University  of  New  York,  presided  over  by  Dr. 
Horace  Lane.  The  native  self-supporting 
churches  have  reached  a  very  gratifying  degree 
of  development  from  this  point  and  are  spread- 
ing the  Gospel  throughout  the  State.  Some  of 
the  more  important  centres  being  Campinas, 
Piracicaba  and  Botucatu.  The  Methodists  have 
likewise  a  prosperous  congregation,  but  for  lack 
of  a  proper  church  building,  their  growth  is  being 
greatly  retarded.  The  Baptists  have  more  re- 
cently begun  work  also  in  the  city.  These  all  take 
an  active  part  in  Bible  distribution.  This  is  the 
most  highly  favoured  of  all  the  States  as  regards 
the  distribution  of  Christian  forces,  having  by 
far  the  largest  number  of  missionaries  and  native 
workers,  and  being  the  centre  of  more  educational 


Sao  Paulo  247 

work  than  has  yet  been  done  in  any  other  State. 
All  these  labourers  have  during  these  years 
most  heartily  cooperated  with  the  Bible  agent  and 
colporteurs,  have  followed  up  the  fields  sown  by 
them,  gathering  up  the  fruits,  and  bearing  wit- 
ness to  the  value  of  Bible  distribution  and  the 
power  of  the  Written  Word  to  enlighten  and  lead 
souls  to  Christ. 

The  editor  of  one  of  the  Missionary  journals 
in  the  United  States  not  long  since  wrote : 
"  Among  the  many  evidences  of  direct  divine  in- 
terposition in  the  evangelization  of  Brazil,  there 
are  none  more  noticeable  than  the  almost  miracu- 
lous results  attending  the  simple  reading  of  the 
Bible,  without  note  or  comment.  There  are 
scores  of  cases  on  record  of  individuals  converted 
by  the  perusal  of  copies  of  the  Scriptures  which 
had  come  into  their  possession,  and  several  of  our 
important  churches  had  their  origin  in  the  con- 
version of  individuals  by  the  unaided  study  of  the 
Bible  and  their  subsequent  reading  of  the  same  to 
their  relatives  and  neighbours,  rmtil  whole  neigh- 
bourhoods had  accepted  the  Gospel  before  ever 
hearing  or  seeing  a  Protestant  preacher." 

The  following  is  a  case  in  point,  similar  to 
many  others  which  have  from  time  to  time  ap- 
peared in  our  missionary  magazines : 

A  member  of  the  church  in  Sao  Paulo  had  a 
brother  who  was  a  seller  of  lottery  tickets  and 
annually  canvassed  large  sections  of  the  country 
on  horseback,  going  from  house  to  house  with  Ins 


248  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

wares.  Before  he  started  out  on  one  of  his  jour- 
neys, his  sister,  with  a  prayer  for  God's  blessing, 
put  a  copy  of  the  Bible  in  his  saddlebags.  It  re- 
mained unnoticed  for  some  time  until,  being 
storm-stayed  for  some  days  at  a  plantation- 
house  he  brought  it  out,  and  as  a  matter  of  curi- 
osity showed  it  to  his  hostess.  As  soon  as  the  lady 
had  glanced  over  its  pages  she  became  deeply 
interested  in  it,  and  said,  ''  Why,  this  is  just  the 
book  that  I  have  been  longing  for  for  years."  She 
not  only  read  it  eagerly  herself,  but  kept  calling 
the  attention  of  other  members  of  the  family  to 
passages  which  she  thought  especially  beautiful 
or  important.  Finally  she  began  to  ask  the  owner 
for  some  explanation.  He,  however,  replied  that 
he  did  not  belong  to  that  religion,  and  did  not 
pretend  to  understand  it,  but  that  his  sister  who 
had  given  him  the  Bible  did.  *'  Then  I  will  send 
at  once  for  your  sister  to  come  and  teach  us 
about  this  new  religion,"  she  replied,  and  accord- 
ingly addressed  a  letter  to  the  sister  urging  her 
to  come  and  explain  to  them  this  new  and  strange 
book,  signing  herself,  "  Your  sister  in  the 
Gospel." 

The  lady  went  as  was  requested,  and  upon  her 
arrival  was  delighted  and  embarrassed  to  find 
more  than  sixty  people  gathered  in  the  large 
dining-room  of  the  plantation-house  to  hear  her 
explain  the  Gospel.  She  did  the  best  she  could 
for  two  or  three  nights,  and  then  wrote  to  her 
pastor  that  he  must  come  at  once  or  send  some  one 


Sao  Paulo  249 

to  preach  to  the  people.  A  young  native  preacher 
was  sent,  and  he  conducted  services  for  several 
successive  nights  with  large  and  most  attentive 
audiences.  The  result  was  the  organization  of 
a  Presbyterian  church,  which  now  bears  the 
name  of  Itatiba,  and  numbers  fifty  communicants. 
The  young  man  who  introduced  the  Bible  into 
that  community  also  became  converted,  and  he 
has  been  for  years  a  most  faithful  and  success- 
ful colporteur,  selling  hundreds  of  Bibles  and 
penetrating  in  many  cases  far  into  the  interior 
where  no  minister  or  missionary  has  ever  been. 

Little  nuclei  of  Christian  believers  have  thus 
been  established  all  over  the  country,  in  the  most 
unexpected  places,  and  naturally  without  any 
reference  to  the  location  of  the  organized 
churches  or  settled  pastors. 

The  wife  of  a  missionary  writes  thus  of  what 
one  copy  of  the  New  Testament  accomplished: 
''  Some  years  ago,  Rangel  visited  Santa  Cruz  do 
Rio  Pardo,  but  found  no  one  desirous  of  pos- 
sessing the  Word  of  God.  After  much  persuasion 
he  induced  one  woman  to  buy  a  New  Testament. 
He  offered  some  tracts  to  the  husband,  who 
would  have  refused,  but  the  wife  urged  him  to 
take  them,  so  as  not  to  seem  rude.  This  woman 
after  a  few  months,  found  the  Saviour,  but  the 
man  continued  indifferent,  refusing  to  read  the 
Bible.  One  day,  as  she  was  sitting  in  her  ham- 
mock, reading  her  Testament,  her  husband  came 
and  sat  down  by  her.    She  read  aloud  for  awhile, 


250  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

and  then,  saying  that  she  must  go  to  see  about 
something,  handed  him  the  book.  She  went  to 
her  room,  and  remained  there,  pleading  for  his 
conversion,  while  he  continued  reading  for  sev- 
eral hours,  declaring  as  he  closed  the  book,  that 
he  was  convinced,  and,  as  his  after  life  showed, 
converted. 

"  This  man — a  self-taught  physician — had,  on 
account  of  his  intelligence,  good  judgment,  and 
pleasing  manners,  long  been  one  of  the  most  in- 
fluential men  of  the  community.  After  his  con- 
version, whenever  called  to  visit  a  sick  person, 
he  would,  before  inquiring  into  the  symptoms, 
first  read  a  chapter  of  the  Bible,  saying  that  it 
was  important  to  cure  the  soul  before  doing  any- 
thing for  the  body,  and  that  Christ  was  the  great 
physician  of  the  body,  as  well  as  of  the  soul. 
Since  following  his  system  he  has  had  remarkable 
success  in  the  treatment  of  all  kinds  of  disease. 

"  The  daily  testimony  of  this  man  and  his 
wife,  together  with  their  earnest  efforts  to  spread 
the  knowledge  of  the  Gospel,  resulted  in  the 
establishment  of  a  church,  of  which  the  first 
thirty-nine  members  were  gathered  within  two 
years.  In  1889,  the  membership  was  seventy- 
one.  In  one  trip  through  the  district  in  which 
this  church  lies,  Sr.  Braga  received  fifty-eight 
persons  into  communion." 

As  the  reader  may  readily  infer,  the  work  in 
this  State,  while  it  has  been  blessed  with  such  a 
marked  degree  of  success,  has  likewise  suffered 


Sao  Paulo 


251 


much  opposition  and  persecution.  While  Catholic 
prelates  in  Baltimore  in  1884  recommended  that 
the  Holy  Bible  should  have  a  conspicuous  place 
in  every  family  library,  and  be  frequently  and 
lovingly  read,  and  Roman  Catholic  authorities  in 
China  and  Japan  are  doing  something  to  provide 
the  New  Testament  for  their  adherents,  in 
Brazil  they  burn  the  Bible  as  if  it  were  a  breeder 
of  pestilence.  There  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
the  Bible  Society  a  remnant  of  a  Portuguese 
.Bible  literally  snatched  from  the  flames  into 
which  it  had  been  cast  in  Batataes,  Sao  Paulo, 
by  order  of  a  Roman  Catholic  priest  and  rescued 
by  the  Society's  colporteur,  who  had  sold  it  to  a 
man  only  a  few  days  before.  The  interesting  fact 
is  that  while  this  burning  of  Bibles  is  frequent,  it 
invariably  leads  to  a  larger  demand  and  increased 
sales.  In  illustration  of  the  truth  of  this  an  in- 
teresting work  has  since  sprung  up  in  that  very 
town  of  Batataes.  The  colporteur  has  several 
times  visited  the  place  and  sold  considerable 
numbers  of  Scriptures  and  the  missionary  and 
native  worker  stationed  there  have  also  from  time 
to  time  disposed  of  a  number  of  copies. 

A  few  years  ago  one  of  our  colporteurs  was 
sent  from  Rio  de  Janeiro  by  rail  to  begin  work 
as  soon  as  he  entered  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo. 
The  first  place  visited  was  Cruzeiro,  the  station 
on  the  Central  railway,  whence  begins  the  rail- 
road running  through  southern  Minas  Geraes. 
The  people  livfng  immediately  around  the  sta- 


252  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

tion  number  only  a  few  hundred :  but  the  town 
of  Cruzeiro  a  short  distance  away  numbers  a 
few  thousands.  From  there  the  colporteur  wrote : 
*'  On  Monday  I  sold  ten  Bibles,  four  Testa- 
ments, and  five  Gospels  more  than  on  Saturday. 
The  priest  has  torn  up  five  Bibles  and  four  Testa- 
ments. The  street  was  perfectly  white  with  the 
leaves  of  the  Word  of  God.  He  said  much 
against  me,  but  I  went  and  offered  him  a  Bible 
and  he  was  very  angry,  saying,  I  was  a  false 
man.  I  told  him  he  was  a  Pharisee,  deceiving 
the  people,  and  that  God  was  waiting  to  bring 
him  to  judgment  for  the  way  he  had  torn  up 
His  Word.  He  said  he  was  ready  to  give  account 
for  what  he  had  done,  and  meant  to  search  for 
others  that  he  might  destroy  them  also.  Many 
of  them  he  cannot  get  as  the  men  have  taken 
them  home  to  their  farms. 

About  seven  years  later  I  sent  another  col- 
porteur, Manoel  P.  de  Lacerda,  to  go  over  the 
same  ground.  He  was  blessed  with  very  large 
sales,  and  wrote  frequently  of  the  readiness  with 
which  many  purchased  the  Scriptures,  and  even 
spoke  of  the  eagerness  of  some  to  read  the  Bible 
in  this  section  where  the  priest  had  torn  up  so 
many  only  a  few  years  ago.  From  the  next 
station  on  the  railroad,  he  made  visits  to  a  num- 
ber of  neighbourhoods  round  about,  and  found 
some  persons  who  had  been  reading  the  Bibles 
sold  by  the  former  colporteur.  The  priest  did 
not  destroy  them  all;  and  those  remaining  were 


Sao  Paulo  ici 

bearing  fruit  in  the  enlightenment  and  salvation 
of  souls.  Sr.  Lacerda,  recently  visiting  that  sec- 
tion wrote:  "As  regards  my  work  here  (in  the 
State  of  Sao  Paulo)  I  am  more  satisfied,  for  I 
see  every  day  the  love  of  God  being  manifested 
in  many  ways.  I  was  on  a  small  farm  near 
Cachoeira  and  there  I  met  a  young  man  who  was 
an  enemy  to  the  Gospel,  and  who  said  the  Prot- 
estants were  false  and  enemies  of  God.  I  spoke 
to  him  openly  of  Jesus  Christ  and  His  love,  of 
His  doctrine  and  will,  and  of  our  obligation  to 
Him.  After  a  long  time  he  showed  that  he  was 
becoming  interested,  but  insisted  that  he  had  the 
true  Holy  Scriptures.  He  finally  sent  to  get  it 
from  a  person  to  whom  he  had  lent  it ;  and  what 
was  my  surprise  when  I  opened  the  book  and 
showed  him  that  it  was  not  the  word  of  God. 
It  was  a  little  book  written  by  the  Sellician 
priests,  who  are  the  Jesuit  Inquisitors  under  an- 
other mask.  After  further  conversation  he  said 
to  me  that  he  was  convinced  that  the  Bible  is 
the  Word  of  God,  and  that  the  Protestants  are 
right.  He  bought  a  .Bible,  as  did  also  another 
young  man  who  had  heard  the  conversation. 
These  statements  show  that  it  is  not  without 
much  effort  that  the  Scriptures  are  sold  in  Brazil. 
Many  have  to  be  persuaded  that  they  have  even 
a  right  to  read  the  Word  of  God ;  others  have  to 
be  convinced  that  the  little  Catholic  books  they 
have  are  not  the  inspired  Holy  Scriptures,  and 
with  nearly  all  we  have  to  labour  hard  and  long 


254  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

to  prove  to  them  that  our  Bible  is  not  false,  but 
that  it  is  genuine,  the  true  and  revealed  word  of 
God.  The  work  of  a  colporteur  is  by  no  means 
a  light  and  easy  task.  To  do  successful  work  one 
needs  to  be  well  instructed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures 
and  in  the  arguments  necessary  to  refute  such 
objections  and  opposition  as  we  meet  with  con- 
stantly :  and  he  must  likewise  be  a  man  of  strong 
faith  and  earnest  prayer,  a  man  of  courage  and 
consecration. 

When  I  first  went  to  Sao  Paulo,  my  attention 
was  attracted  to  the  large  numbers  of  Italian 
immigrants  to  be  seen  on  every  hand.  They 
were  already  coming  in  considerable  numbers 
to  the  State  even  before  the  emancipation  of  the 
slaves :  but  after  the  emancipation  act,  the  coffee 
planters  contracted  for  them,  in  much  larger 
numbers.  They  had  been  arriving  in  Brazil  at 
the  rate  of  10,000  or  12,000  annually,  and  the 
year  of  the  emancipation  104,000  came :  in  the 
year  1891  more  than  132,000  were  admitted. 
Within  the  last  twenty  years  about  1,000,000 
Italian  immigrants  have  entered  Brazil,  and  the 
great  majority  of  them  have  located  in  the  State 
of  Sao  Paulo,  proving  valuable  substitutes  for 
the  slaves  who  when  freed  began  at  once  to  leave 
the  plantations  and  drift  to  the  towns  and  villages. 

In  our  colportage  work  we  have  given  special 
attention  to  the  distribution  of  Scriptures  among 
these  people  in  their  own  language ;  and  our 
efforts  have  been  fruitful  of  good  results :  many 


Sao  Paulo  255 

of  them  have  been  converted  and  a  few  valuable 
workers  have  risen  up  among  them. 

At  the  time  my  attention  was  first  directed  to 
them,  I  had  a  most  interesting  visit  and  work  at 
the  immigrant  station,  where  were  one  thousand 
and  eighty-three  Italians,  just  from  the  ships. 
I  went  to  the  station-house  in  company  with  Sr. 
Joao  Bernini,  our  colporteur  in  Sao  Paulo,  him- 
self an  Italian.  The  people  were  drawn  to  him 
at  once  by  the  fact  that  he  could  speak  their  lan- 
guage, and  he  doubtless  had  a  peculiar  interest 
in  them  because  they  were  his  own  fellow-coun- 
trymen. The  meeting  and  the  manner  of  his  ad- 
dress to  them  were  deeply  interesting  to  me.  I 
knew  nothing  of  their  tongue,  and  could  do  little 
else  than  pray  while  he  talked  to  them  out  of  the 
Scriptures.  Many  of  them  became  interested, 
and  those  who  had  money  bought  copies  of  the 
Scriptures ;  to  those  who  had  no  money  we  gave 
copies.  Near  by  the  station  is  a  police  post. 
Just  as  soon  as  the  people  began  to  collect  around 
us,  three  policemen  came  up  to  know  what  we 
were  doing.  I  apprehended  they  were  going  to 
interfere  with  us  and  while  Sr.  Bernini  con- 
tinued talking  to  the  Italians,  I  undertook  to 
explain  to  the  policemen  our  business.  I  showed 
them  copies  of  the  Scriptures  in  their  tongue. 
Two  of  the  three  became  interested  and  bought 
copies.  Very  soon  they  returned  to  their  house 
and  continued  reading,  gathering  around  them 
some  of  their  own  people  who  knew  the  Portu- 


256  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

guese  language.  During  the  time  we  were  there 
one  family  came  up,  in  which  only  a  bright-eyed 
little  girl  of  about  eleven  years  could  read.  They 
were  very  poor,  but  seemed  anxious  to  learn 
more  of  the  Gospel.  We  gave  the  little  girl  a 
copy  of  the  Scriptures,  and  told  her  to  read  it  to 
her  parents.  A  similar  case  was  one  in  which 
only  a  boy  of  twelve  years  could  read ;  his  mother 
gave  him  money,  and  he  bought  a  copy.  The  last 
I  saw  of  these  the  girl  and  boy  were  reading  to 
their  parents  and  others  who  had  gathered 
around  them. 

Some  of  the  fruits  of  this  sowing  have  already 
been  gathered  into  the  Protestant  churches 
scattered  over  the  State  while  some  have  gone 
back  to  Italy  carrying  the  knowledge  of  the  truth 
with  them.  The  Italians  are  still  coming  into 
Sao  Paulo  in  large  numbers  annually,  and  might 
give  the  State  great  trouble  should  there  be  an 
occasion  for  their  uprising.  At  present  they  are 
industrious  and  seemingly  quite  contented.  We 
distributed  thousands  of  Scriptures  among  them 
in  their  native  language,  some  of  our  colporteurs 
in  ordering  Scriptures,  asking  for  as  many  in 
Italian  as  in  Portuguese. 

The  city  of  Sao  Paulo  has  become  a  dumping 
ground  for  the  Jesuits  expelled  from  the  Philip- 
pines and  Cuba.  The  monasteries  and  churches 
are  full  of  them,  and  more  are  continually  arriv- 
ing. The  newcomers  are  terrible  fanatics,  and 
are  a  real  menace  to  the  nation.    Their  influence 


Sao  Paulo 


257 


is  seen  in  the  following  from  one  of  the  col- 
porteurs :"  1  am  sending  you  another  small  order 
for  books.  The  padres  are  making  a  very  active 
contrapropaganda  here,  and  doing  all  in  their 
power  to  keep  the  people  from  buying  the  Word. 
It  is  only  lately  that  we  have  met  with  such  tre- 
mendous opposition,  as  though  the  padres  had 
all  been  specially  advised  to  warn  the  people. 
The  lines  are  getting  more  finely  drawn  every 
day,  and  it  is  interesting  to  follow  the  rapid  de- 
velopments. The  anarchists  also,  of  whom  there 
are  very  many  here,  are  busy  with  their  prop- 
aganda. We  meet  them  everywhere,  and  they 
are  nearly  always  rank  atheists,  thinking  that  all 
religion  is  as  foul  and  false  as  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic. However,  the  Lord  is  still  with  us  in  the 
distribution  of  the  Word  and  in  testimony  to  its 
saving  power."  On  the  other  hand  a  Christian 
lawyer  in  the  city  has  recently  become  deeply 
concerned  about  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures 
among  his  people,  and  has  opened  a  small  book 
store  at  his  own  expense  with  a  view  to  the  sale 
of  Bible  and  Testaments. 

Fairly  systematic  and  regular  canvassing  is 
carried  on  in  most  of  the  towns  and  villages  and 
country  settlements,  but  still  there  are  many  dis- 
tricts remote  from  railroads  and  main  thorough- 
fares where  little  or  nothing  has  been  done.  In 
the  western  part  of  the  State  there  is  an  almost 
unexplored  region  inhabited  by  wild  tribes  of 
Indians.     As  yet  there  has  been  no  opportunity 


1258  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

for  an  effort  to  give  them  the  Written  Word. 
These  red  men,  so  near,  will  furnish  a  magnifi- 
cent field  for  the  zeal  and  enterprise  of  the 
native  church  v^hich  is  developing  so  rapidly 
into  a  self-supporting  and  self-propagating  in- 
stitution. 

We  recognize  the  many  advantages  the  Bible 
v^rork  derives  from  the  enlightenment  and  educa- 
tion of  the  Paulistas,  but  it  is  abundantly  evident 
the  Bible  itself  has  helped  to  produce  these  fa- 
vourable conditions.  We  must  bear  in  mind  also 
that  by  no  means  has  all  opposition  disappeared. 
The  Roman  Catholic  Church  and  priesthood  are 
just  as  persistent  in  their  efforts  as  they  have 
ever  been  to  prevent  the  circulation  of  the  Writ- 
ten Word  of  God.  The  more  enlightened  and 
liberalized  condition  of  the  people  may  prevent 
them  from  much  physical  violence,  but  their  de- 
nunciations of  us  and  our  work,  and  their  threats 
to  excommunicate  all  who  read  the  Bible,  are  in 
a  measure  more  bitter.  Fondness  for  outward 
show  is  unquestionably  a  prominent  Brazilian 
characteristic.  It  is  marvellous  how  much  they 
are  influenced  in  matters  of  dress,  social  customs 
and  religious  practices  by  those  things  that  make 
brilliant  and  great  displays  before  the  eye.  This 
has  been  utilized  by  the  clergy  to  entice  the 
masses  to  their  churches,  and  to  dissuade  them 
from  buying  and  reading  the  Bible,  by  giving 
prominence  to  repeated  popular  festivals,  pro- 
cessions,   pilgrimages,    and    gatherings    where 


Sao  Paulo 


259 


crowds,    ritualistic   performances,    and    the   like 
could  not  fail  to  impress  the  people. 

In  this  connection  mention  should  be  made  of 
a  translation  of  the  Book  of  Psalms  into  the 
choicest  Portuguese  language,  preserving  the 
blank  verse  style  of  the  original,  by  a  talented 
Brazilian  scholar,  Sr.  Saraiva,  an  ex-priest,  who 
was  for  several  years  professor  in  the  McKenzie 
College  at  Sao  Paulo.  We  anticipate  a  large  cir- 
culation of  this  little  book.  It  is  a  notable  fact 
that  the  spirit  of  praise  is  wanting  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  worship.  Doubtless  this  book  of  Psalms 
will  do  much  to  show  the  people  the  spirit  of 
real  devotion  and  praise.  It  will  be  another  of 
the  uplifting  influences  that  have  emanated  from 
the  city  of  Sao  Paulo  to  be  felt  throughout  the 
entire  country. 


XII 
Southern  Provinces 

A    FAITHFUL    COLPORTEUR A    COASTING    STEAMER 

BY  WAGON  AND  HORSEBACK THE  BIBLE  OR 

THE   ALMANAC. 

THE  territory  embraced  in  the  journeys 
now  to  be  described  includes  the  south- 
ern provinces  of  Parana,  Santa  Catharina, 
and  Rio  Grande  do  Sul,  and  the  great  interior 
province  of  Matto  Grosso.  This  latter  forms  the 
extensive  highlands  or  table  lands  of  Brazil, 
reaching  towards  the  Andes :  it  is  drained  on  the 
one  side  by  the  Amazon  and  on  the  other  by  the 
La  Plata  rivers. 

It  was  on  a  Sunday  morning  in  Nov.  1888 
when  I  sailed  out  of  Rio  bay  on  board  a  national 
coasting  steamer,  bound  for  the  Provinces  of 
Santa  Catharina  and  Parana.  Our  voyage  was 
one  of  the  stormiest  that  I  have  ever  made.  Our 
passengers  were  all  dreadfully  sea-sick,  as  Bra- 
zilians generally  are,  in  which  misery  I  took  an 
active  part,  as  I  generally  do.  We  called  at 
Santos,  of  which  port  we  have  already  spoken, 
and  at  Paranagua,  to  which  reference  will  be 
made  later  on.  The  storm  continued  for  three 
260 


Southern  Provinces  261 

days,  and  so  did  the  sea-sickness.  I  made  some 
effort  to  offer  the  Scriptures  to  all  on  board,  but 
no  one  was  in  the  humour  for  buying,  and  I  was 
really  too  much  taken  up  with  internal  disturb- 
ances to  enter  heartily  into  the  work.  I  think 
about  the  only  passage  of  Scripture  that  could 
have  been  fully  appreciated  just  at  that  time  was, 
"and  there  was  no  more  sea;"  I  am  confident 
that  many  longed  for  such  a  land. 

The  distance  from  Rio  to  Desterro,  the  capital 
of  Santa  Catharina,  is  485  miles.  This  city,  now 
called  Florianopolis,  has  a  population  of  about 
25,000  inhabitants,  and  is  located  on  a  large 
island,  distant  from  the  mainland  about  two 
miles.  The  channel  between  the  island  and  the 
mainland  furnishes  a  safe  harbour  for  vessels, 
unless  in  case  of  a  storm  sweeping  along  the 
coast. 

Our  colporteur,  Sr.  Pedro  Di-Giovanni,  who 
had  been  at  work  there  for  a  time,  came  on  board 
to  take  me  ashore  and  gave  me  a  warm  welcome 
to  his  bachelor's  quarters  in  a  small  rented  house 
near  the  shore.  He  has  worked  in  several  dis- 
tricts, and  is  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  by 
many  of  the  missionaries  and  native  Christians. 
He  has  been  longer  in  the  service  than  any  other 
man  that  we  now  have,  has  never  demanded  a 
large  salary,  has  all  the  time  been  very  econom- 
ical, and  often  has  paid  his  own  travelling  ex- 
penses out  of  his  small  earnings.  I  adapted 
myself  to  his  style  of  living  and  travelling  while 


262  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

with  him.  We  spent  several  days  together  in 
the  city,  and  sold  a  good  many  Scriptures,  being 
for  the  most  part  kindly  received,  while  a  number 
of  persons  showed  much  interest  in  the  Gospel. 
The  President  of  the  Province  at  that  time  was 
known  to  be  a  warm  friend  to  the  Protestant 
cause  and  had  frequently  heard  the  Gospel  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Rio  de  Janeiro.  He 
received  me  cordially,  and  we  had  a  most  in- 
teresting conversation  on  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  the  circulation  of  the  Bible.  I  found 
that  he  hesitated  to  declare  publicly  his  faith 
because  of  social  and  political  interests.  After 
recent  experiences  of  opposition  and  persecution 
in  other  parts  it  was  quite  refreshing  to  find  the 
people  generally  so  kindly  disposed  toward  us 
and  our  work.  There  was  not  a  missionary  at 
that  time  in  the  State,  and  only  one  or  two  had 
by  chance  visited  Desterro  in  passing  up  and 
down  the  coast.  Upon  a  further  study  of  the 
spirit  of  the  people  I  found  that  German  Prot- 
testant  influence  had  done  much  to  remove  prej- 
udices and  enlighten  many;  the  fact  also  that 
no  active  and  aggressive  missionary  work  up 
to  that  time  had  been  attempted  in  the  Province 
was  a  consideration.  I  met  one  of  the  seven 
German  Lutheran  pastors,  who  were  serving  the 
colonists  located  in  different  sections  of  the  Prov- 
ince and  learned  that  they  were  making  no 
special  evangelistic  efforts  to  reach  the  Brazil- 
ians, but  were  confining  their  work  exclusively 


Southern  Provinces  263 

to  the  German  colonists.  Very  Httle  had  been 
done  in  the  way  of  circulating  the  Scriptures 
among  these  colonists  and  their  children,  who 
are  growing  up  in  large  numbers  and  settling  in 
the  country.  Here  was  work  that  we  must  evi- 
dently undertake  sooner  or  later. 

The  interest  manifested  by  many  in  the  city 
to  know  more  of  the  Gospel  led  me  to  hire  a 
suitable  room  where  I  preached  twice  to  large 
and  attentive  audiences,  the  only  disturbance 
being  that  made  by  a  few  bad  boys  in  the  street. 
I  was  impressed  that  this  was  a  favourable  place 
to  locate  a  mission  station.  The  Presbyterians 
who  have  since  opened  work  in  the  city  have 
been  very  successful,  although  their  efforts  have 
provoked  some  opposition,  as  might  be  expected 
when  the  Romanists  see  that  the  Protestants 
mean  to  carry  on  continued  and  aggressive  work. 

A  few  towns  and  settlements  along  the  coast 
and  near  the  rivers  may  be  reached  by  small 
vessels,  and  there  is  one  railroad  sixty-five  miles 
long  from  the  town  of  Laguna  on  the  coast,  but 
apart  from  these  the  Bible  must  be  carried  by 
pack  mule  to  the  285,000  souls  scattered  over 
the  State. 

The  colporteur  and  I  decided  to  try  first  a 
journey  along  the  coast.  As  a  matter  of  economy 
our  colporteurs  always  travel  second  class  on 
the  trains,  and  second  or  steerage  on  the  steam- 
ers. I  have  made  it  a  rule  when  travelling  and 
working  along  with  them  to  take  the  same  fare 


264  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

that  they  do,  though  sometimes  it  is  hard  to 
the  flesh,  and  perhaps  in  a  measure  prejudicial 
to  the  health.  In  the  present  instance  we  em- 
barked on  a  small  coasting  vessel  one  afternoon, 
and  there  being  no  second  class  we  took  the 
steerage.  As  soon  as  our  vessel  was  fairly  under 
headway  we  were  called  to  dinner:  each  man 
was  given  a  tin  plate  or  pan,  a  cup  and  spoon; 
the  fejuada,  (black  beans  and  dried  salt  beef 
seasoned  with  a  bit  of  fat  bacon)  sprinkled  over 
with  mandioca  meal,  was  dished  out  plentifully. 
All  sat  around  on  deck  with  pans  in  hand  eating, 
and  finished  up  the  meal  with  a  cup  of  black 
coffee.  We  made  a  canvass  of  the  ship  and  sold 
a  few  copies  of  the  Scriptures.  Some  showed 
interest  in  the  Gospel,  and  we  had  occasion  to 
explain  to  them  more  about  the  book  and  the  way 
of  salvation.  When  the  hour  for  retiring  came 
I  went  below  to  view  the  prospect :  the  sight  was 
repulsive  and  the  odours  unbearable.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  describe  fully  the  rooms,  or  rather  the 
one  large  apartment,  with  a  few  bunks,  and  ham- 
mocks, the  filthy  bedding,  the  sea-sick  passengers, 
the  heat  and  the  odours.  I  quickly  returned  to 
the  deck  and  began  looking  around  for  some 
sheltered  spot  where  I  could  rest  for  the  night. 
Drawing  on  my  mackintosh  to  shield  me  from 
the  cold  and  drizzling  rain,  making  my  pillow 
a  coil  of  rope,  I  soon  fell  asleep  and  but  for  the 
cold  wind  and  rain  might  have  passed  a  fairly 
comfortable  night.    Fresh  air  with  wind  and  rain 


Southern  Provinces  265 

was  preferable  by  far  to  filth,  heat  and  bad  smells. 
The  next  morning  we  had  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a 
bit  of  coarse  stale  bread  just  before  we  reached 
the  town  of  San  Francisco  on  an  island  of  the 
same  name,  and  with  a  population  of  about  3,000. 
There  we  disembarked  and  secured  lodging  in  a 
second  rate  hotel.  We  had  a  most  interesting 
time  offering  the  Scriptures  and  talking  with  the 
people.  Quite  a  number  bought  copies,  and  many 
expressed  a  desire  to  have  us  remain  longer  with 
them :  but  after  finishing  the  canvass  we  con- 
tinued our  journey  to  other  parts.  The  Presby- 
terian mission  has  now  a  most  interesting  group  of 
believers  in  the  town.  From  that  point  we  took 
a  small  launch  up  the  bay  and  along  a  small 
river  to  the  town  of  Joinville,  a  German  colony 
founded  about  185 1.  There  were  at  the  time 
of  my  visit  more  than  10,000  persons  in  the  dis- 
trict, of  whom  one-third  were  Romanists  and  the 
remaining  two-thirds  Lutherans.  I  found  among 
them  churches,  schools,  a  printing  press  and 
weekly  paper,  shops,  factories,  etc.  This  colony 
has  proven  a  great  success.  I  found  that  they 
were  poorly  supplied  with  Bibles,  and  as  our 
stock  in  the  German  language  was  small  we 
had  to  leave  the  work  to  be  done  at  a  later  date. 
When  a  colporteur  with  a  good  supply  did  visit 
them  he  had  large  sales.  I  spent  a  Sunday  there, 
a  day  never  to  be  forgotten.  It  was  painful  to 
note  early  in  the  morning  that  this  was  the  great 
market  day :  the  colonists  began  coming  in  large 


266  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

numbers  with  the  produce  from  their  farms  and 
gardens :  buying  and  selling  went  on  at  a  lively 
rate  all  through  the  village.  At  ten  o'clock  a 
few  gathered  in  the  church  for  the  usual  weekly 
worship :  I  counted  nine  men  and  boys  and  thirty- 
four  women  and  girls.  I  was  not  sufficiently  ac- 
quainted with  the  language  to  understand  the 
sermon,  but  the  whole  service  seemed  rather  a 
perfunctory  performance,  in  which  there  was 
little  evidence  of  the  Spirit's  presence.  Doubtless 
these  German  settlers  are  models  of  industry  and 
thrift  for  the  Brazilians,  but  I  fear  they  have 
done  but  little  to  give  them  a  true  conception  of 
the  real  character  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ, 
as  set  forth  in  the  Bible. 

Another  of  the  famous  and  most  successful 
of  the  ten  or  more  German  colonies  located  in 
this  State  is  farther  south  and  in  the  valley  of 
the  Itajahy  river.  This  colony  bears  the  name 
of  Dr.  Blummenau,  who  founded  it  a  half  a  cen- 
tury ago.  The  colonists  have  prospered  in  many 
ways :  their  agricultural  school  and  their  libraries 
have  proven  great  blessings  to  them;  they  have 
many  saw  mills,  sugar  and  other  factories,  have 
constructed  a  number  of  bridges  and  have  built 
many  miles  of  road.  This  colony  was  awarded  a 
prize  of  10,000  francs  at  the  Paris  Exposition  of 
1867  as  being  one  of  the  institutions  of  most 
benefit  to  humanity.  We  have  shipped  supplies 
of  Scriptures  direct  from  Rio,  which  have  been 
distributed   among   the    colonists   who   comprise 


Southern  Provinces  267 

about  three-fourths  of  the  population  of  the  dis- 
trict. 

From  Joinville  we  went  inland  a  distance 
of  about  forty  miles  to  the  village  of  Oxford. 
We  travelled  in  a  covered  wagon  drawn  by  five 
horses;  the  road  was  macadamized;  the  houses 
along  the  way  were  well  built,  and  fenced  in, 
having  nicely  cultivated  flower  gardens;  there 
were  occasional  stores,  blacksmith  shops,  school 
houses,  churches,  etc.,  by  the  roadside  and  the 
whole  aspect  of  the  country  was  more  German 
than  Brazilian.  At  different  places  along  the 
way  I  made  such  entries  in  my  note  book  as  the 
following,  "  here  we  sold  one  Bible  and  two  New 
Testaments,"  "  there  we  sold  fourteen  copies  of 
the  Scriptures,"  and  so  on.  From  Oxford  we 
walked  two  and  a  half  miles  to  the  village  of  Sao 
Bento,  and  carried  as  many  Scriptures  as  we 
could :  the  way  was  dusty  and  the  sun  hot,  and 
our  burdens  seemed  to  increase  in  weight  all  the 
time.  But  we  had  good  sales,  and  felt  amply 
paid  for  the  toilsome  effort.  The  German  pastor 
bought  three  Bibles  and  gave  me  an  order  for 
a  number  to  be  sent  him  from  Rio. 

At  Oxford  we  found  another  wagon  that  took 
us  quite  a  distance  further  interior.  At  the 
terminus  of  this  stage  we  secured  animals  and 
started  out  on  a  route  that  led  us  to  the  borders 
of  a  section  inhabited  by  wild  Indians.  The 
trading  station  where  we  stopped  was  owned  by 
a  Russian.    A  number  of  Indians  were  about  the 


268  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

place.  We  sold  two  copies  of  the  Scriptures: 
the  Russian  at  my  request  kindly  interpreted 
passages  of  the  Word  to  several  Indians  present. 
They  seemed  very  much  interested,  and  desired 
him  to  continue.  From  that  point  our  journey 
was  in  the  direction  of  the  Province  of  Parana: 
we  had  to  cross  Indian  territory.  As  we 
journeyed  along  two  settlers  met  us  and  warned 
us  to  turn  aside  and  go  into  Parana  by  another 
route,  as  the  Indians  were  very  angry  with  the 
whites  at  that  time.  A  party  of  white  men  in 
an  encounter  with  them  had  killed  about  twenty 
or  thirty,  including  a  number  of  women  and  chil- 
dren. We  were  told  that  some  of  the  Indian 
women  knelt  before  the  armed  men,  pleading  to 
be  spared,  but  they  were  most  brutally  murdered. 
We  hastened  a  retreat  and  took  another  road, 
though  a  somewhat  longer  one:  distance  and 
travel  were  preferable  to  the  prospect  of  falling 
into  the  hands  of  the  enraged  red  men.  There 
was  little  or  no  opportunity  for  Bible  work 
through  this  section,  and  in  order  to  save  time 
our  guide  had  prepared  food  before  hand,  so 
that  we  would  not  have  to  stop  to  cook  anything. 
The  food  generally  prepared  for  such  occasions 
consists  of  dried  beef  or  chicken  cooked  and 
mixed  with  a  good  quantity  of  farinha,  (the  dry 
mandioca  meal)  and  sometimes  black  beans  are 
included.  This  is  put  into  a  sack  and  may  last 
for  several  days.  The  second  or  third  day  out  I 
called  the  guide's  attention  to  the  fact  that  the 


Southern  Provinces  269 

meat  was  no  longer  good.  He  remarked,  "  I  am 
surprised,  this  has  been  cooked  only  five  days, 
and  I  was  calculating  that  it  would  be  good  for 
at  least  eight."  For  my  part  I  suffered  hunger 
that  day:  we  fortunately  arrived  early  the  fol- 
lowing day  where  we  obtained  fresh  food. 

After  crossing  into  Parana  the  first  place  vis- 
ited was  Rio  Negro,  a  village  of  a  few  hundred  in- 
habitants, surrounded  by  quite  a  large  agricul- 
tural population.  There  we  sold  Scriptures  in 
several  different  languages,  colonists  of  several 
nationalities  having  settled  in  that  district.  Among 
them  was  quite  a  colony  of  Polish  emigrants. 
A  small  Catholic  church  on  one  side  of  the  village 
had  been  given  up  entirely  to  them,  and  an  Italian 
priest,  who  was  reported  to  be  seeking  gain,  had 
compromised  with  them  on  a  form  of  worship 
and  the  mass.  He  of  course  mumbled  his  cere- 
monies in  Latin,  and  they  nearly  all  with  books 
in  hand  insisted  on  singing  wierd  and  dirge-like 
music  with  words  in  their  own  language.  The 
scene  was  a  striking  one  as  I  stood  at  the  door 
and  looked  in  that  Sunday  morning.  There  was 
the  priest  in  all  his  robes  with  his  acolytes  dressed 
in  white  and  black,  all  bowing  and  bending 
around  the  brilliantly  ornamented  altar  and 
images:  through  the  centre  of  the  church,  run- 
ning more  than  half  way  back,  was  a  tier  of  low 
benches  without  backs  upon  which  were  seated  all 
the  women  and  children :  each  woman  and  large 
girl  was    dressed  in  a  white  waist,  a   gay    and 


270  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

varied  coloured  skirt,  with  a  fancy  coloured 
handkerchief  tied  over  the  head.  The  men  were 
dressed  in  white  shirts,  with  pants  stuck  in  their 
big  boot  tops,  a  broad  leather  belt  about  the  waist 
from  which  hung  a  pistol  or  a  big  knife,  and  a 
satchel  swung  over  the  shoulder;  they  stood  in 
the  spaces  on  each  side  and  in  the  rear  of  the 
church  encircling  the  women,  as  if  they  were  on 
guard  or  were  there  for  protection :  they  as  well 
as  the  women  took  an  active  part  in  the  weird 
and  mournful  singing.  There  were  very  few 
Brazilians  present,  and  they  stood  on  the  out- 
side. We  met  an  occasional  German  Protestant 
in  that  section,  and  were  impressed  with  the  lib- 
eralizing influence  their  presence  was  having  in 
the  community. 

From  that  village  our  journey  was  northward 
to  the  town  of  Lapa,  and  thence  onward  to 
Curitiba.  We  spent  a  number  of  days  along  the 
way,  travelling  on  foot,  on  horse-back,  and  in  a 
wagon.  We  arrived  at  a  river  which  had  over- 
flown its  banks  and  swept  away  the  bridge,  leav- 
ing only  the  large  cross  beams,  which  had  been 
fastened  more  securely  to  the  abutments.  We 
had  to  crawl  over  on  these,  carrying  on  our  backs 
our  baggage,  saddles,  and  books,  and  our  animals 
were  made  to  swim  across  the  angry  stream. 
We  stopped  that  night  at  a  small  hut  near  the 
river  where  a  family  was  living  in  great  poverty : 
they  seemed  to  take  much  delight  in  giving  us 
shelter,  though  we  had  to  furnish  our  own  food 


Southern  Provinces  271 

and  do  the  cooking:  we  took  occasion  to  divide 
with  them  as  they  apparently  had  Httle  or  nothing 
to  eat.  How  they  manage  to  live  I  could  not 
discern.  The  only  thing  I  saw  them  take,  save 
what  we  gave  them,  was  the  mate,  usually  de- 
nominated the  Paraguay  tea,  which  all  sipped 
through  a  quill  from  the  same  gourd,  passing 
it  around  as  the  Indians  do  the  pipe.  Our  room 
was  small,  with  a  rough  board  floor,  mud  walls, 
and  a  wooden  roof :  our  light  was  a  tallow  candle 
moulded  in  a  piece  of  bamboo,  or  large  cane :  one 
side  was  split  down  for  a  few  inches,  broken  to 
a  right  angle  and  stuck  in  the  wall,  thus  serving 
for  candle-stick :  as  the  candle  was  consumed  the 
bamboo  was  broken  away  a  little  at  a  time:  our 
beds  were  a  few  poles  strapped  together  and  rest- 
ing on  cross  pieces  of  wood,  supported  by  a  fork 
on  one  side,  and  by  being  driven  into  the  mud 
wall  on  the  other.  We  read  to  the  man  and  his 
family  passages  of  the  Scriptures  and  talked  to 
them  of  Jesus  and  His  salvation.  When  I  asked 
him  if  he  would  not  like  to  have  a  Bible,  he  went 
to  his  room,  brought  an  Ayers'  Almanac,  which 
is  printed  in  Portuguese  and  distributed  gratui- 
tously through  Brazil,  and  said  that  he  had  some 
months  previously  made  a  trip  to  the  seacoast, 
that  a  merchant  had  very  generously  given  him 
the  book,  that  he  had  not  yet  finished  reading  it 
and  it  would  be  useless  to  have  another  book  until 
he  had  read  all  that  was  in  this  one.  He  wanted 
to  know  if  I  considered  the  almanac  a  good  book. 


272  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

I  was  much  taken  back,  and  really  had  nothing 
to  say  against  the  pamphlet,  for  I  remembered 
how  fondly,  when  a  boy,  I  read  the  jokes  in 
Ayer's  Almanac.  He  had  been  kind  in  giving  us 
shelter  and  mate  and  I  left  with  them  a  Bible  as 
we  bade  them  good-bye  the  next  day.  This  jour- 
ney led  us  through  a  region  from  which  is  gath- 
ered large  quantities  of  the  mate.  This  Para- 
guayan tea  is  simply  the  leaves  of  a  forest  tree 
or  shrub  which  grows  without  cultivation,  gath- 
ered while  green,  dried  over  a  hot  fire,  and  then 
broken  or  ground  up  in  mills.  It  makes  a  re- 
freshing drink  whose  tonic  influences  extend  over 
several  hours.  It  is  taken  freely  the  first  thing 
in  the  morning,  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon, 
and  in  the  evening  after  dinner.  The  mode  of 
drinking  it  is  from  a  little  egg-shaped  gourd 
usually  about  three  or  four  inches  in  depth  and 
about  three  in  diameter.  This  is  filled  with  the 
dry  leaves  from  an  opening  at  the  smaller  end, 
then  boiling  water  is  added  as  much  as  it  will 
contain,  a  long  tube  about  the  size  of  a  lead 
pencil  with  a  kind  of  perforated  bulb  serving  as 
a  strainer  is  inserted  in  the  gourd  and  the  tea  is 
imbibed  through  this.  It  may  be  the  section  of  a 
cane  or  reed,  while  some  are  made  of  metal,  and 
the  finer  ones  of  silver.  These  gourds  and  tubes 
are  many  times  beautifully  and  artistically  orna- 
mented for  the  wealthier  people.  The  gourd 
holds  only  a  few  swallows,  and  after  being 
emptied  is  again  refilled  and  handed  in  turn  to 


Southern  Provinces  273 

each  person  composing  the  company.  The  host 
always  samples  it  before  passing  it  to  the  guests. 
The  mate  is  pretty  generally  used  by  all  classes 
in  Southern  Brazil,  Paraguay,  Uruguay,  and  the 
Argentine  Republic,  and  it  is  exported  to  many 
other  ports  of  South  America.  Some  efforts  have 
been  made  to  introduce  it  into  other  countries. 

At  the  town  of  Lapa,  in  a  number  of  villages 
and  country  settlements  on  the  way  to  Curitiba 
we  sold  many  copies  of  the  Scriptures  in  several 
different  languages,  precious  seed  that  must  bring 
forth  its  fruits  some  day :  indeed  the  missionaries 
have  already  extended  their  work  along  that  line 
and  are  gathering  in  numbers  of  believers. 

Curitiba,  the  capital  of  the  state  of  Parana,  a 
city  of  20,000  inhabitants,  situated  on  a  plain  more 
than  2,500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  about 
seventy-five  miles  from  the  coast,  is  a  compara- 
tively modern  and  well  built  city.  A  railroad  from 
Paranagua,  with  several  short  branches,  has  now 
nearly  200  miles  open  to  traffic.  At  the  time  of 
my  visit  there  was  a  well  established  Presbyterian 
mission  in  the  city,  with  a  successful  school.  We 
spent  several  days  in  the  city  and  were  very  suc- 
cessful in  our  sales  of  Bibles.  The  field  was  so 
large  and  inviting  that  I  left  the  colporteur  to 
carry  on  the  work.  In  consultation  with  the 
workers  there  plans  were  formed  for  extending 
the  distribution  through  the  State,  which  plans 
have  been  largely  carried  out,  and  different  col- 
porteurs have  from  time  to  time  gone  to  almost 


274  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

every  section  of  the  State  scattering  the  seed. 
The  missionaries  and  native  preachers  have  all 
the  time  most  heartily  co-operated  in  these  ef- 
forts, and  we  have  distributed  the  Scriptures 
through  the  State  in  the  Portuguese,  German, 
Italian,  Polish,  English,  Arabic,  and  other  lan- 
guages. This  field  has  been  the  scene  of  much 
active  Gospel  work  and  of  gratifying  results  dur- 
ing the  last  ten  or  twelve  years. 

In  the  city  of  Curitiba  I  was  admiring  the  vast 
proportions  of  an  unfinished  Roman  'Catholic 
Church  on  a  prominent  site,  and  inquired  of  a 
gentleman  near  by  why  the  church  had  not  been 
completed.  His  reply  was  that  once  the  stone 
and  material  for  finishing  it  were  all  on  the 
ground  and  the  money  largely  in  hand;  but  just 
at  that  time  the  Emperor  proposed  to  visit  the 
city :  they  decided  to  use  the  stone  and  the  money 
to  complete  a  portion  of  the  macadamized  road 
from  the  sea  coast  for  the  occasion,  and  since 
that  time  they  had  not  been  able  to  secure  the 
funds  necessary  for  the  work.  This  appreciation 
of  the  Emperor's  visit  stood  in  striking  contrast 
to  the  sentiments  I  heard  in  a  Republican  speech 
one  night  in  the  city  about  two  months  after  the 
overthrow  of  the  Monarchy.  The  young  states- 
man was  most  unkind  and  unjust  in  his  remarks 
about  the  Emperor  and  the  Imperial  family :  and 
what  was  more  surprising  was  that  a  number  of 
his  auditors  approved  of  the  ing-ratitude  and  the 
unjust  criticisms. 


Southern  Provinces 


2JS 


The  railroad  through  the  serro  from  Curitiba 
to  Paranagua  is  a  clever  feat  of  engineering  skill. 
The  road  winds  around  and  up  mountain  sides, 
over  deep  chasms  and  through  tunnels,  and  is  said 
to  have  been  the  scene  of  many  horrible  deaths 
during  the  naval  revolt  of  1893-4,  when  revolu- 
tionists were  carried  in  numbers  on  the  train  to 
the  higher  points  and  hurled  alive  into  the  depths 
below. 


XIII 
Rio  Grande  do  Sul 

A  FINE   CLIMATE EARLY  SETTLERS GERMAN   IN- 
FLUENCE  LIBERAL     IDEAS. 

THE  incidents  and  observations  in  Bible 
work  to  be  recorded  under  the  head  of  this 
journey  are  confined  to  the  Province  of 
Rio  Grande  do  Sul,  the  extreme  southernmost 
State  of  the  Republic,  and  formerly  belonged  to 
the  La  Plata  Agency.  I  have  visited  this  section 
twice,  first  in  the  year  1895  and  again  in  1899. 

The  distance  from  Rio  de  Janeiro  to  the  bar 
at  the  entrance  to  the  Rio  Grande  do  Sul  harbour 
is  780  miles.  I  first  made  the  voyage  on  a  small 
Italian  steamer,  and  we  had  a  rough  and  un- 
comfortable time  for  three  days  and  a  half  until 
we  cast  anchor  off  the  city  of  Rio  Grande  do 
Sul.  Our  passengers  were  few  and  the  crew  was 
small,  so  that  little  could  be  done  in  the  way  of 
Bible  work.  The  captain,  however,  proved  to  be 
a  Methodist  and  a  member  of  the  Church  in  Mon- 
tevideo, a  novel  surprise  in  this  part  of  the  world, 
and  we  had  most  delightful  conversations 
together. 

The  state  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul  has  a  milder 
276 


Rio  Grande  do  Sul  277 

and  finer  climate  than  any  other  section  of  tlie 
country,  partly  due  to  the  "-cneral  altitude,  which 
is  about  2,000  feet.  It  embraces  about  142,000 
square  miles — almost  as  large  as  the  States  of 
Tennessee,  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  or  nearly 
three  times  the  size  of  England.  The  soil  for  the 
most  part  is  very  fertile  and  easily  cultivated.  The 
vast  plains  are  adapted  to  cattle  raising,  and  the 
fertile  valleys  and  hills  to  a  variety  of  agriculture. 
Fruits  and  cereals  of  tropical  as  well  as  of  colder 
climates  thrive.  There  are  extensive  forests  of 
large  trees,  easily  accessible  for  lumber,  and  me- 
dicinal plants  are  numerous.  In  different  parts 
such  minerals  as  gold,  silver,  iron,  copper,  coal, 
ets.,  are  found. 

Quite  a  number  of  navigable  rivers  empty  into 
the  great  lake  which  extends  from  the  city  of  Rio 
Grande  do  Sul,  on  the  seacoast,  about  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  miles  to  the  capital,  Porto 
Alegre.  Railroad  construction  is  compara- 
tively easy,  and  perhaps  no  other  State  of 
the  Republic  is  better  provided  with  means 
of  transportation;  and  certainly,  if  present 
projects  are  carried  into  effect,  it  will  soon 
be  far  ahead  of  any  other  State  in  this  re- 
spect. The  general  prosperity  is  indicated  by  the 
marked  increase  during  the  later  years  of  exports 
over  imports,  and  a  notable  improvement  in  the 
finances  of  the  State. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  recently  settled  States 
of  the  Republic.     The  first  Portuguese  settlers 


278  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

landed  in  the  year  171 5.  In  1740  large  numbers  of 
young  married  people  came  from  the  Azores,  and 
the  Rio  Grandenses  are  proud  to-day  to  say  that 
they  sprang  from  the  Azorians.  This  may  readily 
be  believed  when  their  sturdy,  industrious  habits 
and  other  excellent  qualities  are  observed. 

These  first  families  v^ere  soon  followed  by 
4,000  more,  who  found  a  fertile  soil  and  a  con- 
genial climate  for  their  development.  The  census 
taken  in  1814  showed  a  population  of  70,656; 
that  of  1862,  392,725,  of  whom  more  than  50,000 
were  slaves;  that  of  1890,  897,455,  and  it  is  be- 
lieved now  by  many  that  the  population  is  about 
1,200,000.  Since  1824  German  immigrants  have 
come  in  in  large  numbers,  and  it  is  estimated  that 
there  are  now  200,000  or  250,000  Germans  in  the 
colonies,  not  to  mention  the  thousands  who  have 
been  born  in  Brazil,  and  who  have  become  Bra- 
zilian citizens.  There  are  perhaps  150,000  Italians 
colonized  in  the  State.  The  colonists  have  settled 
on  what  seems  a  very  wise  plan;  they  all  have 
titles  to  their  lands,  are  there  to  stay  for  the  most 
part,  and  seem  prosperous  and  happy.  What  is 
so  well  known  as  to  the  religious,  moral,  and  in- 
tellectual condition  of  the  Brazilian  in  other  parts 
may  in  a  general  way  be  applied  to  the  inhabit- 
ants of  this  State,  though  there  are  conditions 
and  influences  which  have  altered  the  situation 
in  these  respects.  The  Azorian  origin  of  the  first 
settlers;  the  agricultural  and  cattle-raising  occu- 
pations,  scattering  the  people   in   rural  life  in- 


Rio  Grande  do  Sul  279 

stead  of  congregating  them  in  towns  and  large 
cities;  the  large  influx  of  Germans,  especially 
of  the  Protestant  Lutheran  faith ;  the  superiority 
of  climate,  and  other  influences  have  had  a  liberal- 
izing and  stimulating  effect  upon  the  intellectual 
and  moral  life  of  the  people.  The  French  nat- 
uralist, Augusto  de  Saint  Hilario,  in  1821,  ob- 
served that  decadence  and  unbelief  in  Roman 
Catholicism  was  very  marked  and  Sr.  Alfredo 
Verelo,  a  native  of  that  State,  in  a  very  important 
work  has  recently  said  that  they  had  made  rapid 
strides  and  that  even  before  the  great  revolution 
the  Roman  Church  no  longer  exercised  that 
spiritual  government  over  the  people  which  in 
other  times  was  so  strong  and  intense,  and  adds 
that  the  Rio  Grandenses  are  the  most  emancipated 
of  all  the  Brazilians.  They  are  doubtless  turning 
rapidly  away  from  the  corrupted  Roman  Church, 
but  a  more  important  question  just  now  for  us 
is,  Unto  what  are  they  turning?  Positivism  and 
many  forms  of  unbelief  are  finding  rich  fields  for 
their  growth,  and  great  numbers  are  perfectly  in- 
different as  to  any  form  of  religious  belief. 

They  are  making  fair  progress  in  education. 
It  is  aflirmed  that  they  will  soon  have  throughout 
the  State  about  1,800  public  schools,  though  this 
seems  hardly  possible,  since  they  have  at  present 
only  746.  On  my  recent  visit  I  witnessed  the 
conferring  of  diplomas  on  a  class  of  about  twenty 
young  women  who  had  just  finished  the  course 
in  the  normal  school  in  Port  Alegre.     In  travel 


a8o  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

through  the  State,  I  always  found  the  people 
liberal  and  very  frank  in  their  conversation  on 
matters  of  religion  and  education.  I  met  with 
nothing  in  the  way  of  persecution,  or  specially  of 
scorning  at  the  circulating  of  Holy  Scriptures 
and  at  the  Christian  religion.  I  was  impressed 
that  the  people  generally  are  very  accessible  and 
ready  to  hear.  I  need  not  emphasize  their  needs, 
since  the  needs  of  Brazil  are  so  well  known  to 
the  Church.  There  are  a  million  of  people  prac- 
tically without  the  Gospel  and  the  means  of 
grace.  In  that  mild  climate  and  on  that  fertile 
soil  the  population  is  rapidly  increasing,  and  the 
wise  administration  of  the  State  government  is 
inducing  large  European  immigration.  Now  is 
the  time  for  the  evangelization  of  a  section  that 
is  destined  to  be  the  home  of  millions. 

The  city  of  Porto  Alegre,  the  capital  of  the 
State,  is  located  on  an  elevation  at  the  head  of 
Lagoa  dos  Patos  (Duck's  Lake)  or  rather  on  the 
Guayiba  estuary  which  is  formed  by  the  waters 
of  four  rivers  emptying  into  this  inland  sea.  The 
view  from  the  deck  of  the  vessel  as  one  ap- 
proaches the  city  is  picturesque  and  delightful, 
with  the  ranges  of  wooded  hills,  the  banks  cov- 
ered with  farms  and  country  houses  nestling  in 
luxuriant  foliage,  and  the  distant  view  of  Porto 
Alegre  crowning  the  hill.  The  lake  is  an  impor- 
tant body  of  water  about  150  miles  long  and  thirty 
miles  at  its  greatest  width.  It  varies  in  depth 
from  thirty  to  140  feet,  and  would  permit  ocean 


Rio  Grande  do  Sul  281 

steamers  to  go  up  to  the  city  of  Porto  Alegre  but 
for  the  very  shallow  water  on  the  extensive  bar 
or  wide  channel  in  front  of  the  city  of  Rio  Grande 
do  Sul  extending-  toward  the  ocean  over  a  dis- 
tance of  some  miles.  This  may  be  improved  by 
dredging  but  as  yet  little  has  been  really  accom- 
plished in  this  way. 

I  was  impressed  on  my  first  arrival  that  the 
community  furnished  a  rich  field  for  Bible  dis- 
tribution, and  while  I  was  awaiting  the  arrival 
of  a  delayed  colporteur  I  improved  the  oppor- 
tunity of  making  an  effort  in  that  direction.  My 
custom  was  to  go,  early  in  the  morning,  into 
the  streets  with  as  many  Bibles,  Testaments  and 
Gospels  as  I  could  carry.  I  usually  sold  out  by 
nine  or  ten  o'clock:  then  returned  for  breakfast, 
a  rest  and  some  reading.  In  the  afternoon  I 
would  go  again  loaded  down  with  Scriptures, 
which  I  generally  disposed  of  by  five  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  when  I  returned  for  dinner.  Occa- 
sionally a  second  supply  had  to  be  sought,  and 
some  times  I  made  large  sales  in  the  market.  I 
was  much  encouraged  by  the  wide-open  door  for 
the  entrance  of  the  truth  and  found  the  people 
ready  to  listen  to  words  of  explanation  and  com- 
mendation of  the  Bible.  In  passing  a  house  one 
day  I  saw  a  number  of  army  officials  at  the  win- 
dow. When  I  offered  them  the  Bible  they  began 
to  make  fun  of  religion.  I  made  no  reply  till 
they  had  said  their  say,  and  then  entered  into 
conversation   with  them,   which   resulted   in   the 


28(2  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

sale  of  sixteen  copies  before  I  moved  from  the 
window.  Incidents  of  like  character  occurred 
almost  daily  while  I  was  in  the  city. 

The  entries  in  my  note  book  show  each  time 
I  went  into  the  streets  for  work  such  as  the  fol- 
lowing :  sold  twelve  copies  of  the  Scriptures,  sold 
twenty-six  copies,  sold  eight  copies,  sold  twenty- 
two  copies;  one  day  the  sales  reached  forty-six 
copies.  I  left  the  colporteur  to  carry  on  the  work, 
which  he  did  very  successfully  for  a  time.  From 
this  central  point  thousands  of  copies  have  gone 
out  into  all  directions  through  the  State,  and  the 
reading  of  them  has  stirred  up  much  interest. 
Both  the  Methodist  and  Episcopal  Missionaries 
and  their  helpers  are  following  up  the  colpor- 
teurs, establishing  regular  services  in  many  places 
and  gathering  in  the  fruits.  On  my  second  visit 
to  the  State  I  made  a  trip  on  horseback  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  miles  to  get  an  insight  into  the 
needs  of  the  Italian  and  German  colonists  north 
from  the  city  of  Porto  Alegre  and  was  gratified 
to  find  that  the  work  done  by  our  colporteur  in 
these  colonies  some  years  ago  had  developed  into 
regularly  organized  churches. 

With  some  aid  from  abroad  the  people  have 
built  comfortable  churches,  and  in  the  lack  of 
v/ell  prepared  and  ordained  ministers  one  of  the 
Italian  colporteurs  of  the  Bible  Society,  Rev. 
Matteo  Donatti,  is  now  serving  in  the  pastoral 
office.  The  people  generally  seem  to  be  indus- 
trious and  prosperous,  and  I  had  hoped  to  secure 


Rio  Grande  do  Sul  283 

from  among  them  an  Italian  colporteur  who 
would  be  able  to  visit  all  the  colonists  and  extend 
the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures  among  them 
more  generally. 

On  the  same  occasion  I  travelled  westward  by 
river  steamer  and  by  rail,  more  than  two  hun- 
dred miles  inland  to  the  town  of  Santa  Maria  da 
Bocco  do  Monte,  where  I  established  one  of  our 
colporteurs  who  has  carried  on  a  most  successful 
work  through  that  region.  The  mayor  of  the  town 
was  very  kind  and  granted  us  permission  to  sell 
the  Scriptures  without  paying  for  a  license.  The 
first  day's  work  showed  fourteen  Bibles  and  six- 
teen Testaments  sold.  A  few  years  ago  a  man 
across  the  border  in  the  Argentine  Republic  se- 
cured a  Bible  from  a  colporteur,  was  converted 
through  the  reading  of  it,  and  when  he  came  over 
and  settled  in  the  State  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul  he 
heard  of  a  Presbyterian  Missionary  in  the  State 
of  Parana.  He  made  the  long  journey  of  several 
days  crossing  the  State  of  Santa  Catharina, 
finally  reaching  the  Missionary  in  Parana.  I  be- 
lieve he  made  the  trip  the  second  time,  and  after 
being  more  fully  instructed  in  the  way  he  was 
baptized  and  received  into  the  communion.  He 
has,  at  different  times,  secured  small  supplies 
of  Bibles  and  scattered  them  in  the  region  round 
about  Cruz  Alta.  Our  colporteurs  have  made 
two  visits  to  that  section  and  have  sold  a  number 
of  Scriptures.  At  the  time  of  my  second  visit 
to  the  city  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul  the  Convocation 


284  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

of  the  Episcopal  Church  was  in  session,  and  I 
was  invited  to  a  seat  and  given  a  special  hour  to 
speak  on  the  Bible  cause.  Our  work  has  the  cor- 
dial support  of  all  the  members  of  the  Convoca- 
tion, some  of  whom  have  rendered  valuable  aid 
to  our  colporteur  in  that  field,  and  have  done  me 
many  favours  as  the  agent  of  the  Bible  Society. 
I  had  most  pleasant  interviews  with  the  preach- 
ers privately  and  enjoyed  their  Christian  fellow- 
ship. They  are  an  aggressive  body  of  men,  and 
are  happy  under  the  efficient  presidency  of  their 
new  Bishop,  Rev.  L.  L.  Kinsolving.  I  had  the 
pleasure  during  my  short  stay  in  the  cit}^  of  wit- 
nessing the  interesting  ceremony  of  laying  the 
cornerstone  of  the  church  which  they  proposed 
to  build  for  their  growing  congregation,  and  by 
invitation  I  spoke  a  few  words  on  the  occasion. 
I  also  received  many  kindnesses  from  the  Rev. 
A.  W.  Greeman,  P.  E.  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  under  whose  supervision  the  Metho- 
dist work  was  at  that  time. 

In  the  German  colonies  and  in  a  few  towns 
there  are  twenty-seven  German  Lutheran  pastors, 
most  of  whom  are  engaged  during  the  week  in 
teaching  German  schools,  many  of  which  are  sub- 
sidized by  the  German  Emperor.  A  number  of 
them  serve  several  churches,  and  rarely  minister 
to  any  one  congregation  more  than  once  a  month. 
Much  of  their  strength  is  consumed  in  these  day 
schools.  They  are  formed  into  a  synod,  and  are 
now  connected  with  the  State  Church  of  Prussia, 


Rio  Grande  do  Sul  285 

a  union  which  I  am  persuaded  has  very  great 
poHtical  significance.  The  work  of  the  pastors 
is  confined  to  the  Germans,  but  few  of  them  have 
learned  Portuguese  and  perhaps  none  have 
a  sufficient  command  of  the  language  to  preach 
with  facility  to  the  BraziHans,  had  they  the  time 
and  the  disposition.  They  are  not  even  following 
up  that  German  element  which  is  constantly  pass- 
ing out  of  the  colonics  and  becoming  absorbed 
in  the  Brazilian  population.  Their  very  presence 
exerts  an  enlightening  and  liberalizing  influence 
in  the  State,  but  they  are  by  no  means  a  direct, 
aggressive  force  among  the  natives.  A  few  years 
ago  their  Synod  in  session  resolved  to  buy  the 
Scriptures  needed  for  their  work  from  the  Amer- 
ican Bible  Society  and  they  have  purchased  from 
us  considerable  quantities  of  German  Scriptures 
during  the  last  two  or  three  years. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  large  and  in- 
creasing German  population  in  the  States  of  Rio 
Grande  do  Sul,  Santa  Catharina,  and  Parana  is 
becoming  a  predominant  element  in  the  agricul- 
tural, commercial,  political,  social  and  religious 
life  of  that  important  section  of  Brazil.  My  ob- 
servation is  that  they  are  pretty  generally  con- 
tented with  their  surroundings,  and  that  there  is 
no  thought  among  them  of  creating  any  political 
disturbance  or  rebelling  against  the  Brazilian 
Government.  They  are  law-abiding,  prosperous, 
and  happy  and  seem  quite  willing  that  civil 
affairs  should  continue  as  they  are.     Of  course 


2  86  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

I  cannot  say  what  Germany's  designs  may  be 
with  reference  to  these  colonists  and  the  desirable 
territory  over  which  they  are  spread.  It  is  a  well 
known  fact,  however,  that  all  the  native  born 
Germans  among  them,  and  a  large  majority,  if 
not  all,  of  the  Brazilian  born  Germans  are  thor- 
oughly loyal  to  Germany,  and  should  the  issue 
ever  arise  the  German  Emperor  may  depend  upon 
their  sympathy  and  support.  It  is  of  the  highest 
importance  that  the  Bible  Society  should  see  that 
they  are  kept  well  supplied  with  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. The  agent  endeavours  to  keep  at  work 
among  them  at  most  one  German  colporteur. 
Protestant  Mission  enterprise  should  do  every- 
thing possible  to  encourage  their  thorough 
evangelization.  The  younger  generations  spread- 
ing out  and  mingling  with  the  native  Brazilians 
form  an  important  element  to  be  looked  after 
and  utilised  in  building  up  an  evangelical  Prot- 
estant Church. 

The  work  of  the  Bible  Society  in  Southern 
Brazil  meets  with  most  cordial  support  among 
Brazilians,  Germans  and  ItaHans;  the  Protestant 
Missionaries,  native-workers  and  German  pastors 
all  delight  to  cooperate  with  us  in  the  glorious 
work.  Each  visit  of  the  agent  to  that  section 
has  seemed  to  awaken  new  interest.  Shortly 
after  my  first  visit  there  a  young  Brazilian,  who 
seemed  deeply  impressed  with  our  work  and 
plans  wrote  the  following  to  one  of  the  evangeli- 
cal   papers :      "  Behold    here    comes    breaking 


Rio  Grande  do  Sul  287 

through  the  horizon  of  Brazil  the  Sun  of  Ref- 
ormation, the  Bible,  and  already  the  darkness 
of  libertinism  declines.  *  The  Bible,'  which,  in 
the  language  of  the  philosopher  Robert  Boyle, 
*  is  among  books  what  the  diamond  is  among 
stones,'  comes  here  seeking  its  place  of  honour 
in  Brazilian  literature.  The  Bible  that  has  trav- 
ersed eighteen  centuries,  reforming,  regenerat- 
ing, and  civiHzing  societies,  presents  itself  in  the 
nineteenth  century  to  the  great  Brazilian  Re- 
public, and  offers  its  services  in  favour  of  re- 
generation. Brazil  needs  this  divine  code,  whose 
laws  are  the  only  means  of  saving  the  country 
from  the  abysm  of  anarchy  which  seems  to  be 
approaching.  Only  the  Bible  will  be  able  to 
deliver  it,  only  the  Bible  will  be  able  to  regenerate 
the  character  of  our  citizens,  and  when  those  re- 
generated demonstrate  in  their  lives  the  power  of 
the  Book  of  books,  then  inevitably  the  wave  of 
reformation  will  increase  more  and  more  in  vol- 
ume until  it  spreads  all  over  vast  Brazil. 

"  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Bible  will  en- 
counter gigantic  obstacles  and  elevated  barriers, 
but  notwithstanding  she  will  conquer. 

"  As  when  the  king  of  day  rises  slowly  on  the 
horizon,  black  night  begins  to  fade  away,  so 
when  the  Bible  shall  arrive  at  its  zenith;  that  is, 
when  it  shall  be  know  by  all  Brazilians,  the  dark- 
ness of  superstition  and  incredulity  will  fade 
away.  Victory  will  not  delay  long.  The  Bible 
will  soon  be  the  rule  of  faith  to  the  Brazilian 


288  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

family,  and  not  only  the  rule  of  faith,  but  also 
the  code  from  which  parents  will  learn  the  sound 
morality  of  the  Divine  Saviour,  and  will  teach 
their  dear  children  that  they  may  know  how  to 
love  their  Creator,  their  neighbour,  and  their 
country.  Dear  reader,  do  you  wish  to  see  peace 
in  your  home  ?  Bring  into  it  the  Book  of  books, 
and  dedicate  some  hours  to  the  reading  of  the 
same,  asking  at  the  same  time  the  blessings  of 
the  Omnipotent.  If  you  will  do  this  you  will 
have  peace  in  your  home;  and  where  there  is 
peace  there  is  prosperity.  Read  the  Bible,  for  it 
is  the  written  Word  of  God." 

I  have  no  doubt  that  these  sentiments  are 
finding  an  echo  in  thousands  of  Brazilian  hearts. 

The  only  remaining  district  from  which  we 
have  to  report  is  the  great  region  embraced  in 
the  State  of  Matto  Grosso,  whose  highlands  are 
drained  on  the  north  by  tributaries  of  the  La 
Plata  river.  It  is  about  1,379,651  square  kilo- 
meters in  territorial  extent  and  has  a  population 
of  about  120,000.  The  city  of  Guy  aba,  with  a 
population  of  15,000  is  the  capital;  there  are 
several  other  towns  with  from  3,000  to  6,000  in- 
habitants. A  great  part  of  the  State  is  almost 
unexplored  territory,  and  is  inhabited  by  Indians 
yet  in  the  savage  state. 

The  means  of  communication  from  Rio  de  Ja- 
neiro is  by  a  national  line  of  ocean  steamers, 
which  go  down  the  coast  1,101  miles  to  Monte- 
video, and  thence  up  the  La  Plata  and  Paraguay 


Rio  Grande  do  Sul  289 

rivers  1,650  miles  to  Corumba,  from  that  point 
to  Cuyaba,  the  distance  of  441  miles  is  made  by 
vessels  of  lighter  draft;  thus  the  entire  distance 
from  Rio  de  Janeiro  to  the  Capital  of  Matto 
Grosso  is  3,192.  The  reader  may  recall  that  on 
the  journey  up  the  Amazon  we  went  to  Manaos, 
3,253  miles  from  Rio  de  Janeiro.  The  same 
Steamship  Company  navigates  the  two  routes, 
the  total  of  which  is  6,445  rniles  or  more  than 
one-fourth  of  the  distance  around  the  globe.  I 
suppose  there  is  not  another  line  of  steamers  in 
the  world  making  such  distances  to  reach  two 
points  in  national  territory.  We  may  add  to 
this  sum  another  700  miles  of  navigation  from 
Manaos  on  the  Amazon  to  the  Santo  Antonio 
falls  on  the  Madeira  river,  making  a  total  of 
7,145  miles.  To  complete  the  circle  over  land, 
or  rather  by  ascending  a  series  of  waterfalls  and 
continuing  navigation  we  make  a  distance  of 
about  1,175  rniles  more  on  the  Madeira  and 
Guapore  rivers,  and  then  about  fifty  miles  on 
horseback,  which  brings  us  to  the  terminus  of 
navigation  by  the  Paraguay  river  route.  The 
entire  distance  of  the  circle  we  will  have  made 
is  8,370  miles,  equal  to  one-third  of  the  earth's 
circumference. 

Until  recently  the  State  of  Matto  Grosso  was 
included  in  the  La  Plata  Agency;  since  it  was 
transferred  to  the  Brazil  Agency  we  have  made 
several  consignments  of  books  for  distribution  in 
that  territory.     No  permanent  mission  work  has 


290  The  Bible  in  Brazil 

yet  been  established  there,  though  one  of  the 
men  sent  out  by  the  Christian  AlHance  did  work 
there  for  a  while,  and  another.  Rev.  W.  C.  Cook, 
has  just  completed  the  journey  across  country 
from  Goyaz  to  Cuyaba,  where  he  remains  for  the 
present.  The  Scriptures  distributed  in  that 
region  are  producing  like  results  to  what  the 
reader  has  seen  recorded  in  other  parts  of  the 
country.  Time  and  opportunity  have  not  yet 
been  favourable  for  me  to  visit  that  State,  but  the 
few  scattered  inhabitants  are  not  being  entirely 
neglected,  and  I  trust  that  I  may  even  be  brought 
to  them  some  day  to  do  more  in  giving  them  the 
Word  of  Life. 


Index 


Aborigines,  the,  i6 
"  Africa  of  Brazil,"  147 
All  Saints  Bay,  145 
Alvares,  Diogo,  13 
Amazon,  the,  225-238 
American  Bible  Society,  33 
American  business  man.  In- 
fluence of  an,  244 
Anchieta,  26,  240 
Anti-Christ,         Protestants 

called,  132 
Arrest  for  Bible  selling,  loi 
Ass,  Worship  of  the,  172 
Away  with  the  heretics,  139 
Ayers    Almanac  vs.    Bible, 

271 
Azorians,  The,  278 

Baptists,  Work  of,  246 

Bahia,  138-157 

Bahia,  Overland  to,  113-137 

Barbacena,  63 

Bible  colportage,  Effect  of, 

148 
Bible  in  public  library,  118 
Bible  reading,   Conversions 

due  to,  247 
Bible  reading  by  night,  222 
Bible  stores,  importance  of, 

36 
Bibles,  Burnmg  of,  I54»  I97, 

251 
Bibles        condemned       by 

priests,  126 
Bishops,    hostility    of,    131, 

142 
Blind,  Bible  for  the,  41 
Blind  convert,  Work  of  a, 

218 


Blummenau,  Dr.,  Colony  of, 

266 
"  Bom  Jesus  da  Lapa,"  185 
Brazilian        characteristics, 

258 

Cayret^  Andre,    Work    of, 

83 
Ceara,  State  of,  218 
Census,  Official,  20 
Central     Railroad,     Along 

the,  52 
Church,  A  ruined,  182 
Clerical  city,  A,  120 
Christian    believers.    Little 

nuclei  of,  249 
Coasting    vessels,    Touring 

on,  260,  264 
Coffee  raising,  94 
Coligny,  Admiral,  24 
College  in  Brazil,  The  first, 

240 
Colonists,  Among  the,  78- 

112 
Colporteurs,    Work   of,   38, 

104,  116,  148,  252,  261 
Comparing  Bibles,  126 
Conversions,  Bible  reading 

leads  to,  247 
Corcovado,  Sunrise  on,  30 
Civilized  Indians,  235 
Curitiba,  City  of,  273 

Diamond  district.  The,  130 
Dutch,  Cruelty  of  the,  206 

Education,  Progress  in,  279 
Emancipation        Proclama- 
tion, 179 


291 


2g2 


Index 


Englishman,  A  friendly,  76 
Episcopal  Church,  Convoca- 
tion of,  284 
Ex-slaves,  Condition  of,  180 

Fanaticism,  211 
Fanaticism  of  Jesuits,  256 
Farmer,  A  liberal,   159 
Fireworks,  Purification  by, 
231 

Galloway,  Bishop,  30 

German  Colonists,  The,  80, 
117,  263,  278,  285 

German  Lutherans,  Work 
of,  284 

German  Protestants,  Influ- 
ence of,  262,  270 

Gold  mine.  A,  119 

Gospel,  Offer  to  pay  for, 
108 

Goulart,  Thomas,  177 


Huguenots  in  Brazil,  25 


Lane,  Dr.  Horace,  246 
Lawyer,  Bibles  sold  by,  2.^7 
Leopoldina  Railway,  The,  78 
Liberty,  religious,  99 
Lutheran  pastors,  Work  of, 
284 

Macei6  City  of,  199 
Maranhao,  City  of,  220 
Martin,  Henry,  148 
Matto  Grosso,  State  of,  288 
McKenzie    College    at    Sao 

Paulo,  246 
Methodists.  Work  of,  246 
Minas  Geraes,  Province  of, 

52 
Missionaries  in   Petropohs, 

82 
Mob,  A  discomfited,  209 
Mob  averted.  A,  112 
Mob  disarmed.  A,  141 
Moraes,  President,  39 
Music,  use  of,  74 
Mud  hut.  Sleeping  in  a,  242 


Idols,     Scriptures 

with,  84 
Images,    Indians    awed   by, 

IIS 
Images,  Influence  of,  65 
Indian  tribes,  The,  234 
Indians,    111    treatment    of, 

268 
Italian  colonists.  The,  254, 

278 


bought    "  Nameless  heroes,^'  156 

Negro  slave,  effect  of  Bible 

on,  45 
Negroes,  The,  18,  147 
Niagara  of  South  America, 

The,  174 
Nova  Friburgo,  City  of,  86 


Jan  u  ART  A,  City  of,  176 

Jesuit  Missions,  The  ex- 
tinct, 195 

Jesuits  at  Bahia,  146 

Jesuits  expelled  from  Phil- 
ippines and  Cuba,  Brazil' 
menaced  by,  256 

Jesuits,  in  Brazil,  24 

Jews  in  Para,  229 

Juiz  de  Fora,  56 


Official,    An    evangelical, 

191 
Officials,  Friendly,  88,  127, 

131,  151,  191,  262 
Our    Lady    of   the    Grotto, 

stones  from,  122 
Ouro  Preto,  City  of,  64 

Patriotic  movement.  A,  71 
Paulistas,  The,  240,  258 
Pernambuco,  199-224 
Petropolis.    Suburb  of  Rio 
de  Janeiro,  79 


Index 


293 


Pilgrimages,  66 
Pioneer  work,   t6i 
Polish  colony.  A,  269 
Political   inlltience   of   Ger- 
mans, 285 
Porto  Alegre,  City  of,  280 
Portuguese  language,  Bible 

translated  into.  259 
Portuguese  settlers.  12 
Presbyterians,  Work  of,  246 
Priest,  An  interested,  219 
Priests,  Hostility  of,  60,  103, 

143,  150.  211,  219.  257 
Prisons,  Bible  work  in.  37 
Procession     of     the     Holy 

Spirit,  168 
Protestant  "  devils,"  132 
Psalms,    Portuguese  trans- 
lation of,  259 
Public  Library,  Bible  in,  118 
Purification    by    fireworks, 
231 

Railroad,  Along  the,  52-77 
Reception,  A  cordial,  167 
Religious  liberty,  99 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  29-51 
Rio  Grande  do  Sul,  276 
Roman  Catholicism,  Loss  of 
faith  in,  279 

San  Francisco,  Down  the, 
179-198 


San    Francisco    river,    On 

the,  170 
Santa  Barbara,  123 
Sao  Paulo,  239-259 
Seed  sowing.  Results  of,  190 
Self-supporting      churches. 

246 
Shrine,  A  remarkable,  1R7 
Social  ostracism,  203 
Southern     Provinces,     260- 

275 
Stoning  by  boys,  135 
St.  Salvador,  City  of.  147 
Street-preacher,     A     blind, 

218 
"  Sun       of       Reformation, 

The,"  287 
Swamp,  In  the,  169 
Swiss  colonists,  80 

Teacher,  A  discomfited,  96 
Tent  life,  158-178 
Theatres,  Preaching  in,  88 

ViEiRA,  priest,  12 
Village,  A  deserted,  t8i 
Village  postmaster,  A,  128 

Wild  Indians,  234 

Y.   M.   C.   A.,  organization 
of,  49 


Date  Due 

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